Little Harem Academia
by Queen Sydon
Summary: It'd always been Akko's dream to be loved the same way Chariot had in the prime of her fame. After a subtle yet unforeseen circumstance, her wish might just come true a lot sooner than she thought, but in no way she could expect. Luna Nova just got a whole lot friendlier. But who knew love could cause total disaster?
1. To Be Loved

**Hello hi hello. Been a while since I wrote anything. I recently watched all the current LWA material, and holy moly did I love it. I didn't think I could still find an anime that could make me laugh and cry as much it did. Wonderful stuff. It's fun and innocent, with great characters and a terrific aura of positive energy. It inspired me to write again, woo! I really hope there's a new season or a movie or anything. Definitely getting the game when it comes to Steam though!**

 **Anywho, let's kill some time with a silly little thing. Reviews are greatly appreciated, even if you have harsh criticisms. I learn from all feedback, and am gracious for it. So here we go!**

 **Love~!**

 **Queen Sydon**

 **Little Harem Academia**

 _To be Loved_

The power to touch peoples hearts. To spread love and compassion everywhere she went. Atsuko Kagari truly believed she could do it, and no amount of snide cynicism from those who didn't believe in that kind of power was going to stop her. Even so, her own physical and emotional energy had its limits, but if she could somehow bend the laws of nature to not need sleep, she reckoned not a moment would be spared for rest in grasping her wonderful dream. Akko had wondered this as she collapsed in a heap into her bed after a gruelling Tuesday session of endless lectures and classes at Luna Nova academy. It had been one of those days that didn't so much as drag, but more stretch onward into a baffling infinity of boredom, note-taking, and exhaustive droning by passionless old Witches.

For a regular girl, it would've been torture, but Akko was anything but. Her lack of patience had made the ordeal akin to crossing the Pacific Ocean in a cardboard box with naught but a wooden spoon.

Akko was exhausted in more ways than one. She hadn't even the strength to change out of her uniform before falling face-first onto her warm bed. Lotte and Sucy were already fast asleep, having made it to bed an hour earlier. Akko's extra curricular activities and after-lesson tutoring by Professor Ursula had ensured she'd be the last one to call it a day. It was necessary of course, her grades were so abysmal, especially in Magic History, that to skip out on them would see her education fall into a slump which even Akko doubted she could scurry out of.

"Uugaah…" She heaved an exasperated sigh as she turned her head on her pillow and blearily glanced at the Shiny Rod propped up on the desk in front of her. "Heyyy, Rod-Chan…what a day…you'll help me sleep won't you?"

Akko wasn't expecting any kind of reply. Her exhausted state was merely making her a little delirious. In any case, the Shiny Rod sat motionless; it's pristine, glassy orbs shimmering slightly in the pale cloudy moonlight.

Being like Chariot. To be loved. It was a lot of work. Almost overwhelming at times, like right then of course. Akko knew there was no easy road to what she wanted to achieve, after all it was something she had learned not too long ago from Professor Ursula; _"That which is dreamed cannot be grasped, but work towards it, day after day, and you will find it in your hands."_

Even so, with her body aching and her mind fizzling out like a burnt potato, Akko whispered into the ether of her slipping consciousness: "Please, help make my dream a little easier…"

She'd slurred the last bit of that, having fallen asleep with a dramatic snort that de-shelved one of her textbooks from the desk with its force.

Unknown to them all, the Shiny Rod had flickered to life for the briefest of moments; fanning out a sparkling sphere of green starlight that enveloped the room and eventually all of Luna Nova. As quick as it had come it was over, and the night passed in peace, cradled by the gentle sounds of Akko's retching snores.

=][=

Akko had had the best nights' rest in a long time. She'd even had a wonderful dream of Chariot's magic show, only instead of her marveling at the sight from the crowd she was up on the stage with her idol, casting wondrous magic in unison that lit the sky in a dazzling display of color. She and Chariot were riding the Shooting Star over the jubilant cheering crowds, standing side by side on the broom as they waved at the sea of smiles below them. Akko was laughing so hard she leaned forward too much and almost fell off, but a firm hand on her shoulder saved her from any fall. When Akko glanced at Chariot to say her thanks, she was a little surprised to see Ursula by her side, smiling warmly at her.

Akko wanted to say something graceful, but felt tears of joy welling in her eyes, muffling her words with sobbing laughter. Ursula pulled her close to comfort her, planting a small kiss atop her head in a loving gesture. With that, Akko felt her body tilt back as she fell into the stars with her idol cradling her. There was joy in heart as she let the momentum of the graceful fall carry her; a warm sensation prickling along her neck and shoulders.

A gentle wave passed over her, and with another deep sigh, Akko felt the rays of the sun welcoming her for a new day. Akko didn't move for a while, breathing softly as the thoughts of her dream danced in her mind. She concentrated for a moment as the fuzzy experience sharpened into something more cohesive; forming a warm center that settled in her heart and stayed there.

She finally opened her eyes, taking in her familiar room and the familiar ceiling of Lotte's bunk up top. The Shiny Rod was still there where she'd left it, the coffee-cream of the shaft glowing in the bright morning sun.

"Did you…? Hm, thanks Shiny." Akko was already grinning ear to ear, feeling energized and buzzing with the excitement for a new challenging day.

Feeling a little sheepish for sleeping in her uniform, Akko did her best to smooth out the creases and imperfections, relieved that her rest had been easy on her in that way too. As she readied herself for the day, Lotte and Sucy roused themselves from their respective beds, blinking in mild shock that Akko had managed to be up and about before either of them. On the worst days, they'd had to prop her up a like a lethargic puppet without strings so she could dress herself.

"Good morning, Akko." Lotte smiled cheerily as she sat up from her bunk and donned her glasses. "Wow, it looks like you had a nice rest."

"That's too bad. I wanted to try out a new energy shroom on her. Not my lucky day." Sucy added, sitting up from her own bed as she sat forward with her chin resting on her knees, eyeing Akko strangely. "But maybe I'll ask if that's ok next time."

"Morning guys! I'm feeling it today!" Was Akko's chipper response. "We got Ancient Magic History right after breakfast. Let's get to it!" She declared as she pointed dramatically towards the bedroom door, much like an aspiring conqueror perched atop a massive battleship bound for reckless adventure.

Lotte and Sucy moved around her as Akko held the pose, busying themselves in getting ready without rush. Books were packed, wands holstered, hair was combed, and uniforms were donned.

" _Yaauugh_ …" Sucy stifled a yawn with her hand as she and Lotte finally took their place at Akko's sides, ready for the day.

"Okay Akko, I think we-"

"RED TEAM GO!"

Akko blurred as physics realigned itself to shift aside as the jubilant girl had already disappeared through the bedroom door, having thrown it open so hard that Lotte's entire collection of Nightfall books shuddered and fell in a heap atop a well-placed pillow below the shelf. The suddenness of her exit had caused a few of the other girls outside to scream as the mysterious morning typhoon of energy with a pigtail had zoomed past them.

"Akko's in high spirits today." Lotte grinned happily.

"Sure is." Sucy muttered, wearing an uncharacteristic smile of her own. "Akko forgot her bag."

The Mushroom Witch picked it up from the perch on the bunk bed and moved along with Lotte to exit the room after their friend and defacto leader.

"Sucy, are you feeling ok?" Lotte asked with slight concern as they shuffled out into the corridor.

"No." Sucy responded simply. But that smile of hers was still plastered on her face. Normally, Lotte would only see such an expression on her in the presence of some dangerous fungi or right after a chiding joke or disastrous prank. It was odd to say the least.

Lotte thought a little to herself, remembering a moment in the past where Akko had been having trouble sleeping, and Lotte had offered to read her one of her favorite chapters of Nightfall volume 322. The two of them had stayed up well into the night, reading through the entire book together atop Lotte's bunk, laughing as they shared the journey into an imagined world; all the while illuminated in the soft glow of Lotte's little faerie friend sleeping between them. Why had a memory like that bubbled into her thoughts like that all of a sudden? When Lotte realized she herself hadn't stopped smiling that morning either, she responded to Sucy honestly.

"Me neither. It's...kinda nice."

=][=

Red Team sat down at their usual table for the wondrous breakfast treats that an ancient magic school could offer, namely buttered toast, bland tea and a bran muffin that could pass as a rock on both texture and taste.

Akko had long since gotten used to the wholly underwhelming breakfast at Luna Nova, but that day she scarfed down the grub eagerly. Regardless, she could just swipe some tarts from the cafeteria later. Having been caught once, she'd become exceptional at avoiding detection by scurrying off into dark corners in mouse form.

"Mmrmf!" Akko devoured a slice of buttered toast in two bites, leaving a glazed mess on her face.

"Akko, here." Lotte offered a napkin which Akko accepted graciously, beaming a smile wider than normal thanks to her cheeks being at maximum capacity for food intake. With some difficulty, she swallowed the excessive helping with a weighty gulp, dabbing her messy lips with the napkin for all of half a second, before setting her eyes on the next target. The rock/muffin stared back at her grimly, challenging her will.

"Wow, these things just keep getting worse, huh?" Akko remarked with a slight slump of her shoulders.

Sucy raised a small vial of a cherry-red liquid above the muffin and let its contents drip onto it. Almost immediately the bran 'treat' warped and popped as it rattled about on Akko's plate who watched the transformation with curious surprise.

"Oooh!"

With a final pop, the bran muffin was no more, replaced by a delicious creamy tower of a cupcake awash in glistening custard and flaked with tasty-looking chocolate.

"Wow! That looks great, Sucy!" Lotte remarked with a smile, but tilted her head with a nervous laugh shortly after. "Just be careful, Akko. Hopefully it's side effects are worth the taste…"

"Eh?" The brunette's mouth froze inches from the tasty treat. Her eyes narrowed as she cast a furtive glance at Sucy.

"You don't have to worry." Sucy replied with a slightly wounded tone, looking away sheepishly for a moment before fixing her lone visible eye on Akko with a gentleness neither she nor Lotte had seen before. "It's good."

Akko very slowly and deliberately closed her mouth as her features softened at Sucy's reassurance. Troubled, she turned to Lotte who only smiled softly with a curt nod.

"W-well, ok then!" Akko chirped, brushing aside the awkwardness by taking a gigantic bite out of the muffin. Lotte and Sucy watched apprehensively as Akko chewed the sweet with all the grace of a child sampling their first-ever cake.

"Waah~!" Akko's eyes went starry-eyed as her face lit up flush with joy. "Delicious! Thanks Sucy!"

"Mn." Was her curt reply, already chowing down on her own rock-muffin.

Lotte opened her mouth to say something but only managed a shrill yelp when a breakfast tray slammed down hard at the opposite end of the table.

"Yo." Amanda greeted informally with a wide smirk and sat herself down as her teammates, the ever-talkative German Wiz Constanze, and Jasminka master of edibles, did the same at her sides.

'How you guys been? Put it there, K.'

Amanda sat forward with her fist outstretched. Akko had her mouth full of magic cupcake but she beamed happily as she did the same and exchanged a friendly fist bump with the fiery redhead, adding a finger flutter at the end too of course.

Akko managed to finally swallow the treat and smiled cheerily at her extended entourage of friends.

"Hello Amanda, Jasminka, Constanze!" Akko greeted them all in turn, radiating positive energy more than usual which the American quickly seemed to pick up on.

"Haah? Ain't you chipper today. What's got you in such a mood?" She asked evenly, resting her chin lackadaisically on her palm. On her left, Constanze was tinkering with her Stanbot, possibly programming it for something elaborate. Jasminka was oddly not chowing away on crisps for a change, instead sitting quietly but still wearing her unflappable grin.

"Ahh, yeah I'm feeling pretty good today, heh." Akko chuckled sheepishly. She didn't want to really talk about her dream so openly in that moment. It was a little embarrassing that such a little thing had put her in high spirits. "Just got a good rest is all. Plus, Sucy transformed my muffin into something real yummy!"

Amanda's gaze flickered to the aforementioned Witch for a moment who only stared coldly back at her, munching away at her own unmodified muffin with slow, calculated bites.

"Oooh…? Don't be surprised if you sprout hair all over your face at any moment. Though I think Akko with a beard could still work." Amanda guffawed loudly at her own remark.

Sucy's cold stare darkened into a seething glare as her eye narrowed dangerously at the redhead.

Lotte noticed this quickly and nervously waved her hand at her friend. "Aah, I-I…she's just joking, Sucy.' The bespectacled girl turned to Amanda next in a hope to mediate. "Right, Amanda?"

Amanda stared at Sucy unblinking. Suddenly the space rippled with intensity as the air grew heavy with unseen magic.

"Ara?" Akko tilted her head as she watched the exchange, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable. Right on cue, Constanze's Stanbot sprung to life and hopped into place in front of Akko, landing on the table with a little thump as it struck a disco pose. "Oh, hey there!"

The small German girl fiddled with her remote control, scrunching her face in deep concentration. In response to her focus, the Stanbot broke out into a quirky dance as it tapped its little feet in a blur of movement before moon-walking back and forth in front of Akko, who watched with growing delight.

"Aw, that's so cute! Look at those little legs!"

With another twirl the Stanbot whipped out a notepad and pen before scribbling something onto it with furor and determination.

"Eh?" Akko watched amused as the Stanbot flipped the pad so she could see. To her genuine surprise, it was a sketch of _her._ The lines and shading were incredible, even the individual traces of her hair looked meticulous. Her ponytail looked like the real thing!

"Woah…that's woah…" Akko breathed as she thought of something meaningful to say, but couldn't quite put anything into words. She instead looked over to Cons, who looked up from her control unit with a tiny smile before issuing another command to her robot.

In response the Stanbot flipped to a new page and scribbled something else much quicker this time, showing it to Akko promptly.

 **There's something I need to ask you.**

Akko blinked at that, her surprise and curiosity growing with every passing second. Everyone around her had gone eerily quiet all of a sudden...

"W-what is it, Cons?" She asked nervously. Constanze made a little sigh under her breath and issued another command to her Stanbot which prepared to write a new note. This time however the little robot froze in place as little plumes of smoke started to fizzle out of its head.

"Oh no!" Akko yelped, watching the poor thing start to freak out and go spinning off their table and across the cafeteria like a little smoking pinball. It crashed into something at the other end garnering a few distant cries of shock.

"Ahh…" Constanze murmured to herself with a pang of disappointment, furrowing her distinct eyebrows before leaving the table to clean up whatever mess her Stanbot had caused.

"Um, okay." The brunette girl watched her go, confused and a little concerned. "Is Constanze feeling all right? That wasn't like her at all."

"Yeah. She was pretty expressive today." Lotte added, her voice growing quieter as she spoke. "I think she wanted to tell you something, but didn't really know how. Maybe she's…uhm…never mind…"

When Lotte trailed off, Akko pouted a little at her close friend with a raised quizzical eyebrow. "Maybe's she's what, Lotte?' I don't get it at all."

"Akko." Amanda spoke up firmly, getting the attention of the three girls in front of her. Something about her sharp tone made Akko tense up in her seat. But it was Amanda's serious and stern gaze that put her on the spot. There was something awash in those striking green eyes, Akko noticed. A determination fuelled by a fire she had no clue the origin of. More and more she felt a prickling sensation in her hands and neck at this most eventful of breakfasts.

"Yes…?" She barely managed to squeak out. A distant thought of turning into a mouse and skittering away entered her thoughts. Especially when she took notice how everyone at the table was staring at her with something more than just mild curiosity. She hadn't somehow become super interesting for no reason, had she?

"Don't you know what's happening a week from now?" Amanda pressed on with that same sharpness to her words.

"The Twilight Ball."

It hadn't been Akko who'd answered, but Lotte. The girls turned to the demure Witch, whose gaze was downcast and hidden by the sheen of her glasses. Lotte's hands fidgeted nervously at the hem of her skirt as she spoke further, her voice timid and hushed like she was confessing some truth that had been locked away.

"They haven't had one for a long time. It's supposed to be a wonderful night, where the unity between witches and the world is to be celebrated. I was-"

Lotte sniffled minutely. Akko's mouth was agape at the sudden emotion. Lotte was… _crying?_ Her heart sank at such a sight. On reflex she reached out her hand, meaning to hold Lotte's to try and comfort her, but the girl suddenly shot up from her seat, wiping away small tears from beneath her glasses.

"I was…" She paused again, avoiding eye contact with anyone there as she forced a smile. "I'm heading to class. It's still a bit early, but I could use a review on my notes."

She hurried off without waiting for a response, leaving Akko there with her hand frozen in the air in feeble shock. Lotte did grace the smallest of smiles at her friend as she left, and even in that briefest of moments Akko could see she hadn't stopped crying.

"Lotte!" She cried out, standing from her seat quick enough to knock her chair over. Sucy's gentle hand was all that kept her from sprinting recklessly after Lotte's retreating form.

"Hey." Sucy said calmly, letting her shoulder go as Akko turned to face her. "Let's give her a bit of room. We're heading to the same class anyway, so it'll be easier to talk to her. And as for _you…"_

Sucy glanced at Amanda who arced her brow in reply.

"Huh?'" The brash girl muttered a little rudely.

"Whatever you were going to ask, can it wait? Even you've gotta notice bad timing when it happens."

Amanda parted her lips for a snappy reply but held back her words, looking to Akko for a moment. The brunette saw the challenging aura about her vanish quickly as the American's expression softened. Akko wondered what prompted the change in demeanour, but then finally noticed the light tears forming in the corners of her vision, Akko figured she must've cut a pretty sorry sight. Amanda's brashness relented then, and she quietly picked up her tray before leaving with a curt: "Later guys..."

Jasminka watched her friend go, deciding it was better to follow her, but before leaving, she reached into her bag and pulled out a little plastic case, placing it front of Akko.

It was a pristine tart of a much higher brand than the ones at Luna Nova proper. It was topped with perfectly cut strawberries, succulent kiwis, and lathered in tasty-looking whipped cream.

"Share with Lotte, hm?" She said simply and left to join her teammate.

Akko was already starting to wonder what was happening. Her friends were acting strange in being extra friendly with her, but had suddenly become cold to one another. And now the Twilight Ball had become a huge deal with her at the centre of their rapt attention. Had she done something wrong? Why did becoming a Great Witch have to be so confusing sometimes?

A polite, refined cough sounded behind her then, followed by the scraping of a chair as it was lifted off the ground and placed behind her.

"Ms Kagari, if you will."

"Eh!" Akko's pigtail twitched at the familiar pristine tone and she whirled around a bit too quickly, checking her knee on the chair. "Yow! D-Diana!"

The Princess of Luna Nova. The graceful Witch Aristocrat. Diana Cavendish stood before her, looking as pretty and refined as always; back straight in perfect posture, platinum blonde hair combed into faultless tresses that framed an immaculate visage that at that moment held a reservedly concerned look.

"Are you hurt, Atsuko?" Diana queried, cupping her chin in one of her slender hands. "It wasn't my intention to alarm you like that. Please, accept my apologies."

She bent forward a little in a prim curtsy towards Akko, who could only stare back in disbelief. Some of the Luna Nova students nearby gasped and whispered among themselves at such a gesture. Akko noticed how every passing moment was drawing more and more attention towards her, so her desire to mouse her way out of the premises genuinely became more than just a silly idea.

"A-ah…! That's ok, Diana! Really!" She lied as her knee throbbed terribly in pain. Akko flapped her hand about to appease Diana's concern, her cheeks prickling with the mounting embarrassment. "It was an accident! You were just helping with my chair, right? A-anyway…I uh…um…"

Akko couldn't think of anything more to say. Sucy beside her had fallen silent, staring blankly at Diana.

"I am glad, Atsuko. Were you in a hurry? There was something important I wanted to ask you."

Sucy grunted something under her breath, to which Diana didn't seem to notice or perhaps chose to ignore completely.

Akko flapped her mouth open and close a few times, but no words came. She was enraptured by Diana Cavendish and those peerless aqua blue eyes gazing at her with such composed confidence. The heiress was also wearing a darling smile that Akko had never witnessed; unguarded and compassionate, a true reflection of her familial heritage.

It was Affection.

When Akko seemed unable to formulate a reply, Diana took the initiative with a bold step towards the Japanese girl, whose face was glowing red like a sun about to burst.

"Have you considered who will be your date for the Twilight Ball?"

=][=

 **Ok, I'll stop it here for now. The chapter ended up being a bit longer than I thought! But this is fun. I can have another chapter up quickly if you guys think its any good. I have some** _ **curious**_ **ideas for where this is heading, haha. Please let me know what you guys think. Bye bye then!**


	2. Akko 101

**How you guys been? Here's another one. A million thanks to those who reviewed, you make this whole thing worthwhile! A few favourites too, I'm so happy :)**

 **A bit shorter this one, but I wanted to get it out so there wasn't too much blank air. Enjoy!**

 **-Queen**

 **Little Harem Academia**

 _Akko 101_

Akko's brain short-circuited much like the Stanbot had a couple of minutes ago; complete with a little plume of smoke fizzling out her lone pigtail. She wasn't easily flustered, but Diana's proximity to her was making it impossible to function. There was an overpowering fragrance to her, like an impossible extract of vanilla and lavender dipped in fresh mint. She had no clue if those things even went together, and now her mind was looping with images of stupendous foods. Diana gazed at her, patiently waiting for an answer as it seemed everyone in the cafeteria was doing the same thing. Akko wanted to melt into a puddle and sink into the earth from embarrassment, but even if there was such a spell for that, she didn't know it so with a panicked shriek Akko threw up her wand and did the first thing that came to mind.

" _Metamorphie Faciesse!"_

Akko had probably put _too_ much gusto in the spell as a huge cloud blasted away from where she'd been standing, knocking over a few tables and sending various food items crashing to the floor, creating an instant mess of cutlery and splattered tea. The cloud disorientated the students nearby who coughed lightly at the lingering white smoke, except for a Diana who dissipated it with a fervent flick of her wand.

"You won't escape me, Kagari." She declared haughtily, eyeing the spot Akko had just been, but even without the smoke obscuring anything, the brunette girl had already disappeared.

"She escaped." Sucy muttered from next to her, looking oddly pleased. "Akko's gotten pretty good at that lately, hee hee…"

"Tch!" Diana grit her teeth in frustration, her normally placid demeanour cracking somewhat at such a simple thing.

 _I need to take my time. I knew beforehand that such a task would require preparation and timing, but it seems I couldn't heed my own advice. I simply need to observe Atsuko Kagari and strike at the perfect moment. Then my chance for success will be absolute._

Diana deliberated to herself as the cafeteria buzzed back into activity after the scene, save for one Sucy Manbavaran who hadn't moved an inch. She was staring at Diana with her trademark apathetic expression, but there was an odd reinforcement to it…guarded, and dangerously calculating.

"Your staring is understandable, Manbavaran, but please refrain from doing it too long." Diana quipped, turning to the Mushroom Witch with a hand on her hip and her head high, challenging her in the way she'd done countless times before in dealing with the world's elite. "Now, is there something you wanted to say or are we done here?"

Sucy didn't so much as flinch at any of that. Instead, she shuffled quietly towards her, never once breaking eye contact or even blinking until she'd moved past her and headed towards the exit without a word.

Now it was Diana's turn to stand frozen, a single bead of sweat on her temple marring her features. To the common eye, Sucy's departure wouldn't have been anything to remark about, but Diana was nothing if a master of social nuance and etiquette. There had been a palpable _ferocity_ to her silence. And as she'd passed her by, every one of Diana's subconscious instincts had screamed in danger.

Diana Cavendish turned slowly to Sucy's retreating form just as the witch swung around a corner at the far end and vanished from sight.

Clenching her fists tightly, Diana narrowed her eyes and smirked ruefully, adding in a soft chuckle despite herself.

 _Sucy_ _Manbavaran_ _. You will be a worthy opponent._

=][=

"Waah…" Akko sighed in exasperation, planting her head face-first onto her desk after having sat down to attend Professor Finnelan's Magic History class. Her instinct to hide and run moulded by countless late-night kitchen raids had made Akko panic in the face of Diana's very _forward_ interest in her all of a sudden. It seemed like her mouse transformation had gotten her out of yet another embarrassing situation. Lotte had already been waiting in her usual seat to Akko's right, poring over her notes as Akko had scampered into the class in a mad rush, only transforming back to her normal form after zipping underneath the desk. There'd been less room than she'd anticipated which naturally resulted in the top of her head thudding into the desks' ceiling when she'd switched.

"There, there, Akko." Lotte soothed her with a gentle pat to her back.

Akko's head was hurting a little, but in truth she was more concerned with Lotte in that moment, forgetting her own troubles briefly.

"I'll be fine, it doesn't hurt." Akko reassured her, though her watering eyes said otherwise as she turned her head to face Lotte sideways, lacking the conviction to sit up proper for the time being. "What about you, Lotte? You were crying back there…I haven't seen you so upset since I wrecked that song of spirits scroll of yours…sorry again about that…"

Lotte actually smiled at that, tilting her head with a small laugh. Already Akko was feeling a little better seeing that.

"It's ok, Akko. To tell you the truth, I'm not entirely sure what came over me. Dances, balls, gatherings…if it doesn't involve Nightfall it really isn't my thing, huh? I guess maybe…"

Akko sat up to hear her dear friend out. The first of the Luna Nova students beside themselves were filing through the front door, signalling that class would start soon.

"What is it, Lotte? You can tell me if you want." Akko pressed earnestly, but she noticed that same nervous flutter in her friend's demeanour from the cafeteria at her insistence. She instead switched gears and decided to put her at ease. "Ahh, it's fine if you don't want to talk about it. Just like in Nightfall Volume 322; Gabriel was right to shoulder his burdens on his own for a bit. If he'd just spilled everything to Lord Queen Silverfang when she'd asked, then he might've lacked the will to survive his fight against the Moon Legion. What was it that he said…oh yeah!"

Akko stood up suddenly and flaunted an extravagant military salute of sorts, planting one of her feet on the desk.

"I cannot, WILL not fall here! My Lord Queen still demands my truth!"

Lotte gazed at her with bewildered delight, cupping her hands together.

"Y-you remembered! That night we read together! I had so much fun, Akko…"

Akko grinned to herself, pleased at lifting her friends' spirits. But she wasn't done yet!

"Now, no more sad tears, okay?" She settled back into her seat, softening her words. "If you can do that for a bit, then I'd love to read the next book with you soon."

Lotte looked about ready to burst into joyful tears, but she relented and took a quick breath, nodding once with a beaming smile.

"Hai!" She replied as the two of them couldn't help but giggle sheepishly among themselves.

More and more students were filing into the class, with Sucy among them. She took her seat beside her friends and placed Jasminka's tart in front of Akko.

"You're forgetting things." Sucy chided with a wry grin. "I see you brought Lotte out of that slump, so let's eat this thing togeher after lunch."

"Ooh, thanks Sucy! A-and sorry for running away like that. Diana scared me a little bit…"

Lotte perked up curiously at that.

"Diana? Did something happen after I left?"

Akko chuckled nervously at that, the mere thought of the encounter giving her awkward pause. Would Lotte even believe her? Before Akko could think of a proper reply, Sucy nudged her elbow, indicating towards the classroom entrance where sure enough, Diana Cavendish had made her graceful entrance with her chums in tow, gliding into the room with a soft stride and even flicking her hair back as she ascended the short staircase to her seat behind Akko. The Princess of Luna Nova flashed a warm and knowing smile as she passed the brunette, who shrunk in her seat anxiously but still managed to return a shaky grin of her own. Akko's smile vanished when Hannah and Barbara passed by, replaced by a gape of disbelief at the sight of the two of them having decided to perfectly mimic the Japanese girls' distinct hairstyle. They sat at Diana's sides, looking like a pair of prototype Akko's, but didn't spare a glance at the original like there was absolutely nothing out of place.

Akko, Lotte, and Sucy had fallen into a tense silence at the sight, until the mushroom witch took the initiative to speak.

"Something happened all right. Maybe we should talk about this later?" She suggested dryly, sifting through her bag as she pulled out the various books and quills needed for that class.

"T-they copied me…that's so _weird._ _"_ Akko stammered, feeling slightly flattered but more shaken with confused disbelief.

At that moment, Professor Finnelan entered the class with her ceaselessly stoic and annoyed expression.

"All right class, quiet down now." She said sternly, moving to the front and standing beside the board with her wand already in hand. "I don't think we've been quite going the pace I had hoped. Some of you see fit to slow down the rest of the class in certain departments, so for our next few lessons I'm going to need all of you to pick up the pace in following my curriculum to the letter without dawdling. Is this understood?"

"Haaii…" The class droned back without a shred of enthusiasm. Seemingly satisfied, Finnelan continued with a flick of her wand at the board, plastering every inch of it in scrawlings of the subject for that day.

"What." Akko muttered aloud without thinking. The plethora of information splayed out for the class…was herself. Pictures of her, biographies of her favourite foods, even a hyper-detailed diagram of the mechanics of Atsuko Kagari tripping over a broom and onto her face.

"Now, as you can see by this graph, Atsuko Kagari has quite the fondness of sugary treats. This is a common occurrence in highly energetic girls. But it can also lead to moments of general clumsiness, as show in diagram 42-F. Please make a note of this class."

Akko scanned her gaze at the rest of the class, and sure enough, every one of them had their heads bowed, scribbling away diligently at the nonsense being delivered. Even Lotte and Sucy were jotting everything down, only pausing to glance quickly at the board before going back to work.

"Ehhh…?" She croaked as her body tilted back, forgetting how to function. Finnelan continued babbling, displaying another image of Akko at lunch; her face frozen in an unflattering frame of her mouth closing ravenously around a turkey leg. The photo made her eyes appear creepily demonic thanks to the severe case of unfortunate camera red-eye.

"Atsuko Kagari's appetite is impressive amongst similar mammals around her age. She can consume several times her body weight in various meats and pastries, yet never gain any weight. A mystery I hope the elite of Elder Witch Society may solve one day. Now, can anyone explain the mechanics of diagram 62-G, and how such a feat is performed?"

A fuse exploded and burnt into a crisp inside Akko's head at the sight of _everyone_ in class throwing their hands up at the same time. The picture in question was a still of Akko tumbling over a stool and smashing into a bookshelf as its literary contents showered down around her.

"Ms Cavendish? You were first." Finnelan nodded at the girl who stood calmly from her seat, clearing her throat before speaking.

"Atsuko's clumsiness is in full effect there. Falling over the stool set up an amusing descent into the book shelf, creating a ratio of manageable foolishness reinforced by cuteness. It can also be seen as an exuberant consumption of knowledge if viewed by certain angles."

The class murmured in awe at Diana's answer, who sat back down as her Akko clones congratulated her on such a concise answer.

"As expected of Diana. You're such an expert!"

"I never thought of it that way! Incredible!"

Akko looked like a ghost in her chair, eyes glazed over as a drip of drool crawled out the edge of her mouth at the proceedings she was witnessing.

"Excellent, Diana. I see you've been studying hard as always." Finnelan nodded sagely at her top pupil. "Next, we move onto the attire of one Atsuko Kagari. Take note of diagram 3, and the coy customisation applied to her uniform. It is a clear violation of Luna Nova basic conduct, but is never brought into question. For tonight's homework assignment, I want a detailed analysis of Atsuko's Absolute Territory and the Natural Human Response. I will accept no less than ten pages on this subject."

"HAAAH!" Akko shot up from her seat, fuming in both rage and embarrassment.

"Ms Kagari, please explain yourself!" Finnelan demanded with an annoyed huff. "This is important history. Unless you have a good enough reason to think otherwise?"

Akko again noticed how everyone in class was staring at her, but that time, her nervous fury reinforced her will so she spoke without hesitation.

"This _isn't_ important! It's all about me! Please, someone tell me this just some silly prank!" Akko forced a strained laugh, but her classmates and teachers just started back at her impassively. "I-I can't believe this…I'm…not _that_ interesting!"

In the midst of her tirade and the silence that had befallen the class, Akko heard the floor directly behind her creak with movement. Whirling around, she came face-to-face with Diana, who'd been leaning forward in her seat; hand outstretched mere centimetres from her bobbing pigtail. The look on Diana's face was that of nervous, blushing shock like a princess being caught at the gates about to run away to find forbidden love.

Diana had been leaning too far forward, and the gift of momentum saw her frame dip forward and somersault head-over-heels into the floor just as Akko shrieked and leapt out of the way.

The stifling silence in the room continued unabated as Diana got to her feet with whatever grace she could manage, her face reddened from the previous impact.

"Forgive me, Akko." She said with an unperturbed calmness. "I simply couldn't help myself."

As everyone continued to stare expectantly at her, Akko did the only thing her body would communicate at that moment. Without another word, Atsuko Kagari turned on her heel and simply sauntered stiffly out of the room, her face as blank as the statue of Jennifer.

"Ms Kagari! What is the meaning of this?" Finnelan snapped at her, but Akko was already gone, having closed the door silently behind her without any indication she'd heard her.

After she'd departed, a few painfully slow minutes passed without any action from the class. It was Sucy again who was the first to speak, turning to the remaining member of Red Team across Akko's absent seat.

"Something isn't right." She muttered darkly to Lotte. "Things are getting a bit too strange, even for me."

=][=

 **Where's Akko wandered off to? Maybe Chariot can help? Or just make things a whole lot worse.**

 **Tune in next time for this…thing. I dunno what to call it. I know this chapter was kind of silly, but think of it as a gag episode of sorts. This thing will get real fluffy real fast~**

 **-Queen**


	3. Coy

**Hey guys. Got more. Here we go!**

 **But first, cheers for those reviews. It's fun to write, but friendly feedback makes it terrific to do so.**

 **Little Harem Academia**

Coy

Diana sat at her desk inside her spacious bourgeois accommodation at Luna Nova. It was technically lunch time, but her appetite refused to allow any intake. Instead, she leant forward in her seat with her hands cupping her slender cheeks, the soft blue in her eyes misty as she stared at her private journal opened to a blank page. Hannah and Barbara were conversing away in the lounge at her back; their jaunty, bubbling chatter muffled somewhat by the large bookcase that acted as Diana's sole reprieve from the world that asked so much of her.

The Princess of Luna Nova sighed deeply as she shut her eyes, trying to steady her focus. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't write a single word in her journal. Ever since she'd started to put her thoughts and tribulations to paper, the act had come so easily and regularly that the sudden absence of being able to do so was both frustrating and worrying.

With a vexing huff, she forced herself to grip a quill in her hand and put the tip to the page for that day.

 _Just write anything. It doesn't have to be important. As long as you get started, you can work through the chaff in your will and succeed. It is not the Cavendish way to stop the moment a hurdle appears._

And so she wrote without thinking, without even bothering to read what she was scribing. A sudden tense spasm in her hand halted her motions after only three words. Her eyes were wide in shock as she stared at the page, lips slightly parted in disbelief.

Akko Akko Akko

"What in the world…?" She uttered with a sharp intake of breath, her quill still frozen in her hand. Slowly, deliberately, Diana strained her quill to write another word. As each letter formed on the page, a gnawing sense of direful incredulity dulled her senses.

A-K-K-O

She dropped her quill suddenly, not caring that the tip left a nasty smudge on the page. Diana shot up from her seat, causing her seat to groan loudly as it slid across the floor to the bookcase behind her. Hannah and Barbara continued to chatter away from nearby, blissful of the clouding conundrum Diana was straining to work through.

There was definitely something wrong. She couldn't write anything in her journal except for Akko's name…in fact, her very thoughts were swimming with bubbly images of that smiling klutz. Even as she steeled her will with a pinch on the bridge of her nose, the thoughts were only held back for a moment, like trying to block a flimsy door from a cascading torrent of a wave comprised of hundreds of Akko's; all giggling and calling her name as they spilled past her flimsy mental barrier.

Diana started to feel a little light-headed. With shaky hands she propped herself on her desk and quickly whisked out her wand.

She didn't know a particular spell to help with what was happening to her, so instead Diana willed a fissure of magical energy to envelop her gently. With her eyes squinted shut in concentration, she slowed her breathing and spoke wordlessly to the aura she'd conjured as it shimmered in the air around her.

Her thoughts immediately began to clear as her will refocused, aided by the formless spell born of her spirit alone. She still thought of Atsuko; her playful, childish laugh. Her boundless positive energy. That beaming smile that melted sadness itself.

But these were _her_ thoughts. They were not forced or unnatural. She did have a warm centre in her heart for that peculiar and shameless witch. It'd settled in her core after that clumsy oaf had saved her in more ways than one many moons ago; in particular that incident at her estate where Atsuko had gone against all of her cynical expectations to rescue her not only from her Aunt's schemes, but Diana's own selfish, miserable desires.

That was her…love. There was no mistaking it. It had fluttered about in her body and soul since that day. But she'd already made the decision to keep it in check. Part of it was her rationale at how much it would complicate things at Luna Nova in so many ways.

The real reason however, was fear of course. Atsuko most likely would never see her in such a way, and any such confession might destroy whatever closeness they'd managed to nurture in their fond times together. The thought of being pushed away terrified her, as if her very heart would chill and form to painful ice in her chest.

So it was with this thought in mind that Diana's face flushed crimson at the revelation of the breakfast that day.

Diana had essentially asked her to the Twilight Ball…with everyone around to see.

"Ahhh…" She covered her face in her palms, shaking her head rapidly as the scene played in her head like a blooper reel.

And on top of that, the ridiculous class she'd just attended with her had seen Diana fall over the front of her desk after being caught trying to touch that silly pigtail of hers.

She'd fallen flat on her face, again with _everyone_ watching!

Diana felt she might actually explode from the bubble of shameful embarrassment swelling inside her chest. With a tight grimace and a most unladylike grunt, she put the feelings aside.

There was an issue occurring that was much more important than some silly out-of-character hijinx. Some unexplained event had happened to coax her latent emotions out. The most disconcerting fact was she hadn't even noticed anything was actually awry until she stopped to ponder over it as she had right then. Her own mind had been warped beyond her control…

She took a deep breath and composed herself, feeling some semblance of normalcy steady her nerves. With her mind clear, Diana Cavendish decided that the best course of action would be to find Atsuko Kagari and uncover the true origin of the disturbance.

It wasn't just Diana who had become abruptly obsessed with her. That much Diana had figured out. That blank yet withering glare Sucy Manbavaran had fixated on her still crawled in her memory. It'd been subtle, almost invisible to the unenlightened, but Diana knew jealous rage when she saw it. Hopefully it wouldn't cause an issue in the future.

Regardless, Akko herself must know something. She was at the centre of it all, so it was only natural to assume so.

With her vague goal in mind, Diana shut her journal, tucked her chair back into place, and made her way to the entrance of the dormitory.

Hannah and Barbara were drinking tea and snacking on exquisite cakes as she paused in front of them, noting their ridiculous decision to copy Kagari's unkempt hairstyle.

"Oh!" Hannah noticed Diana as she passed, setting her cup down from a sip. "Diana, are you heading out? Want us to come with?"

Diana thought about what it would look like to have those two following her around looking the way they did, dismissing such an idea as quickly as it had come.

"Please, just enjoy your meal. I won't be long. Something requires my attention."

"O-ok then." Barbara chimed in, then she suddenly perked up when Diana, much to her own chagrin, couldn't stop herself from being caught staring at her new hairstyle. "Haha…so you did notice! What do you think? Should Hannah and I keep it like this?"

Diana thought to give a sharp reply that they change their styles back before doing anything else. But her curt response became muddled in her mind as she glanced back at them from the door leading outside to the hall.

"I like it. I'll leave it up to you."

=][=

Akko was surprised she could even walk as her legs, which felt like they were composed of wobbling rubber, moved on their own as the brunette wandered through the halls of Luna Nova with no concrete destination being clear in her clouded thoughts.

Thankfully the halls were mostly empty, owing to the muffled voices of teachers and students coming from the doors she sauntered past meaning that classes were still ongoing.

"Akko Class…" She muttered to herself, shoulders slumped in resignation as she walked. "What kind of joke is that? Never thought I'd actually miss Ancient History so much…"

Her gaze had been downcast and her attention unfocused, so when a pair of sneakers suddenly appeared in front of her, Akko couldn't help but shriek loudly as Amanda O'Neill appeared before her.

The redhead stiffened in surprise at her reaction, motioning with her outstretched palms at her sides as she fixed Akko with a sheepish look.

"Woah! Woah…there. Damn, sorry about that K. Didn't mean to spook ya. Didn't you hear me coming?" Amanda asked her as she put her hands on her hips; an amused and carefree smirk gracing her relaxed features.

"Oh, I'm s-sorry! I was daydreaming…" Akko apologised unnecessarily, forcing a smile.

"I wouldn't have figured you'd be the kind to walk out of class like me. That takes a lot of nerve. Unless you're sick or something?"

She pondered a little. Akko _did_ technically just walk out of class. Did that count as truancy?

"I'm feeling ok, I think." She replied, unsure. It wasn't so much herself that she was worried about, more like everyone else. Part of her wanted to tell Amanda about the stupid class she'd just attended, and the way Diana had fallen on her face right in front of her. No doubt Amanda would find that hilarious, but Akko was in no mood to tell jokes at Diana's expense. "I guess I did just kinda walk out. I couldn't take what I was hearing any more."

Amanda chuckled heartily at that. "Ha! Tell me about it. Sometimes I wonder if these old bags are just making that crap up as they go. They really need to work on their delivery if they want people like us to pay attention. That's what I like about ya. You race by with your own set of guidelines, traditions and rules be damned, just like me."

Akko preened at the compliment, feeling a little better. An effortless smile formed on her lips to which Amanda flashed a toothy grin in response. The Japanese girl felt a little spark of inspiration at her friend's unwavering self-assurance, even with the looming prospect of angering the academies' faculties more than she had already.

"Ah ha! There's the Akko I'm used to. Don't let this place get you down, ya hear? Anyway, I better make myself scarce from the open. Wouldn't want you to get detention on my account. The disciplinary committee has been hunting me for a week now. It's kinda fun giving them the slip again and again. So take care of yourself, Akko. Maybe hit the infirmary if you're feeling green."

Amanda tapped her arm with a playful jab as she passed by; striding confidently and carefree.

"Later, K."

"Bye Amanda!" Akko chirped loudly as she waved goodbye, to which Amanda spun around and put her finger to her lips, shushing her.

Naturally, a few heavy footfalls sounded from behind one of the closed classroom doors as a result. Amanda flashed a mischievous grin at Akko before booking it down the hall.

Atsuko Kagari hesitated for a moment before bolting in the opposite direction, stifling a giggle as she went.

Without looking back, she kept running with some effort put into not slamming her feet as she sprinted, lest she garner more attention than necessary. Amanda's aloof, untroubled nature had put her own worries at ease somewhat. So it was then that she decided that perhaps speaking to Professor Ursula would help her situation further.

Warm thoughts of her tutors knowing and welcoming smile cheered Akko on. She had no doubt that Shiny Chariot would be able to help her figure out what was happening. Akko was sure of it!

"Hm!" She nodded to herself with conviction before racing towards the staircase leading to her favourite professors' quarters in the astronomy tower. Akko didn't have that particular class that day, so there was a good chance she'd find her there.

 _There's nothing I can't do with Chariots help! A believing heart…c'mon Atsuko!_

=][=

A figure moved silent and unseen in the corners of the corridor that one Atsuko Kagari had just run through. The unknown presence was cloaked from common indicators, a trait only she seemed to grasp with such ease.

Unseen wistful eyes watched Akko go as her heart grew heavy with torturous longing. It was becoming unbearable to hold in those feelings; like trying to cage a blazing sun in a heart of wicker.

She was going to put her plan into motion soon, and not a care was spared on how many people it was going to hurt.

The vial of her concoction was gripped tight in her hand, ready to wreak havoc.

Akko would be hers soon. That was all that mattered.

=][=

"Professor Ursula! Chariot, hey!" Akko excitedly hammered on her door with more force than necessary. For emphasis she plastered her face on the little round window and peered inside.

At first all she saw with her nosy disrespect for privacy was the humble furnishings of her revered idol's quarters. But her ruckus quickly bore fruit as Ursula's puzzled face appeared at the other side of the window. She blinked in nervous surprise, but her features softened contently when she recognised her star pupil.

"O-oh, hello there, Akko. I thought classes were in session? Is everything alright?" Ursula greeted bashfully as she timidly opened the door fully to properly see to Akko's troubles.

"Hi Professor! There was something I needed to a-a- arsk...what…uhhh-"

Akko's words turned to unintelligible honeyed nonsense on her tongue when she saw what Ursula was wearing. It was her Shiny Chariot outfit in all its scandalous splendour. Akko had always thought the set looked awesome, but to see it worn in such a light took the breath right out of her body three times over.

On the Chariot of ten years ago, it had looked cool and coy. But worn by Ursula's grown and curvy form was a thing of absolute fantastical over-sexiness. She had even topped it with her trademark hat sitting on her luxurious flowing crimson mane, and skipped out on wearing her glasses too.

Akko knew it was Ursula. _Her_ Ursula. Big Sister, mentor, friend, saviour. But in that moment she was transformed back into a little kid again, gaping at her idols' magnetic, wondrous aura in complete awe.

"Ara…it is a bit much isn't it?" Ursula said nervously, looking away with a slight pink tinge glowing on her cheeks. "I wanted to see if it would still fit…which it didn't, haha! I had to enchant it a little. It has been more than ten years after all."

Akko stammered a reply, her body trembling from excitement and shock.

"S-S-S-Shiny…"

Ursula just smiled at that.

"Hai. Come in, Akko, what can I help you with today?"

Ursula-no _Chariot_ -stepped away from the door and into the room, leaving Akko frozen at the entrance struggling to even move. As Chariot seemed to busy herself organising a few odd-looking bronze scopes and tools from inside a large wooden chest at her desk, Akko managed to find her nerve and scamper into the room after her, nearly tripping over a rug spectacularly in the process.

After flailing her arms around and managing to catch herself on her own feet, Atsuko stood there staring at her idols back as she sifted through her various items. Her confidant aplomb had shirked its way back into clueless uncertainty at the sight of her mentor dressed like that. Akko's face was prickling in a hot flush of nervousness looking at her. For the first time she truly understood why some witches were quick to dismiss Chariot as a show-pony. That outfit left nothing to the imagination, _especially_ then.

Akko felt oddly mesmerised watching Chariot hunched over her desk with her back turned to her. The deep-sky blue from the pleats in her skirt fluttered coyly as she moved. A revelation, Atsuko thought deliriously. _Absolute Territory…_

A sudden onrush of giddy uneasy feelings rippled through her body, turning her legs to jelly mush and her mind to cotton candy. The view Akko took in next was like the icing on the top of that mental sundae.

Chariot bent forward slightly to reach for something at the end of her desk, sighing a little as she stretched and perhaps unknowingly gifted a peculiar view to the Japanese girl present, one which easily dashed away the last of Akko's already shattered nerve. The last, concrete words that flashed in her psyche was an internal shriek of: _Wears Red!?_

"Aaah-cha! There it is. Was wondering where you were." Ursula remarked at the crystal scope she'd scooped up. She heard a dull thud from behind her, prompting her to twirl around with a surprised: "Eeep!"

Atsuko was laying flat on her back, clearly unconscious as her eyes glazed over with a stupefying grin crawling over her pale face.

"Akko!" Ursula shrieked and rushed to her side, kneeling down to put her palm to the brunette's forehead. The girl was already flush with a worrying feverish heat.

"Waah! What have I done?! We're going to the infirmary, Akko!"

Scooping up the unconscious girl, Shiny Chariot sprinted out of the room so quickly that every neatly organised apparatus on her shelves and desk was blasted from their perches and went smashing to the floor in an ear-splitting cacophony of glass and brass.

Alcor had been seated on the tip of one of his master's chairs for the entirety of the brief encounter, and hadn't budged since. His look of disapproving contempt said more than any human could in words.

=][=

 **I got some developments in mind for where this is going. Need to watch that rating though, haha :P**


	4. Gripping Thorns

**You guys are awesome! The feedback has been great, and I'm so happy that people are enjoying my stuff on any level. That warm thing happens to my heart, no joke ;)**

 **Ok here we go. Have fun all!**

 **Little Harem Academia**

 _Gripping Thorns_

Akko was soaring across a sea of glittering light on the Shooting Star, stretching her arms out as far as they could go to each side. She laughed joyously as her fingertips traced through the colours and swirled about to her eager touch, conducting it to her innocent whims. The magic there was infinite; a reflection of her hopes and dreams. A world of light awash in love and friendship. That was what she always wanted.

"Akko…" A soft voice hushed from behind her, a gentle rush of breath from the words kissing the back of her neck, eliciting an immediate warming tingle to the rest of her form. A pair of slender arms embraced her and crossed over her small timid shoulders. The voice, that familiar welcoming presence, Akko knew it was Chariot without needing to turn around.

The embrace was firm and protective, but it felt like something more when Chariot gently rested her chin on Akko's left shoulder, casting a sheepish sideways glance directly into her shimmering eyes, close enough that Atsuko could see her own astonished face reflected in those pools of kind crimson.

"Will you come away with me, Akko?" Chariot whispered inches from her prickling ear. "You brought magic back to this world. That means we can begin Magical Festa anew, with you by my side on that stage. Together we can bring the kind of happiness and joy to the world that will glow in peoples hearts for all their days. We can fulfil our dreams as one, Akko…"

Atsuko's vision glimmered in tears as a slide-show of events played in her thoughts. Her and Chariot on stage, laughing and dancing together to roaring crowds of millions as they cast tremendous magic into the skies on an impossible scale, inspiring all those who bore witness to chase their own adventures, their own dreams without regret. She saw herself hugging Chariot tight, tears streaming down her blissful, laughing expression.

The manifestations of hope brought those same tears to Akko as she rode her broom through the stars; the twinkling droplets falling into the light and becoming a part of it.

It'd felt like she was really there. It had showed her what she wanted most in the world, but she didn't understand why it made her weep so.

'Chariot…!' Akko blustered the name, hiccuping at the end through her crying. "We'd have so much fun…wouldn't we…? Together."

Shiny Chariot hummed a melodious tune, planting the softest of kisses on Akko's trembling temple. The brunette was overcome with emotion at the gesture, gripping the broom so tight she thought it might snap like a toothpick in her clammy hands.

"Do you love me, Akko?" Chariot asked quietly, her hushed voice dancing just above a whisper.

Akko was shaking uneasily, unsure of a direct reply. When she managed to speak, she barely kept her voice from stammering through a truthful and heartfelt response.

"I do, Chariot. I always have…"

Her idol's embrace wrapped closer, pressing her body to Akko's to make them one. Chariot uttered a brief yet cheerful laugh.

"But…" Akko continued, feeling Chariot tense minutely at the simple word. "I love my friends and family too. I love Luna Nova. I love the life we all share together. I'm…I'm not ready to leave them all behind, even to live my dream with you…"

Atsuko murmured sadly as Chariot slowly released her from the hug. Already she missed that devoted touch, shivering involuntarily from head-to-toe. With a sudden jolt shaking through the broom, Chariot appeared in front of her, having apparently leapt upwards from her perch behind Akko to land casually on her feet at the forward tip of the broom.

Chariot Du Nord stood proudly before her, reaching out her hand to a stunned, teary-eyed Atsuko. The crimson-haired witch was glowing with energy, shining a gleaming smile that could power a thousand suns with its radiance.

"Then let's go home, Akko!" She cheered happily, her words seeming to spring the broom to dramatically pick up speed, launching its two passengers through the spinning rainbow twilight.

"Waaah!" Akko shrieked her trademark scream and snapped hold of Chariots hand with both her own. A welcoming surge of power filtered through their connection, spurring Akko to stand on the broom along with her beloved mentor without hesitation.

Chariot held Akko's hand tight, never looking away from Akko's gaze even as a swirling bright light enveloped the two of them.

Akko winced and shut her eyes just as the world around her slowed and came to a peaceful rest. She let the stars carry her away, feeling a serene peace swim about her as a sensation of floating slowly overtook her form.

Warm and comfy bedsheets materialised around her body, cushioning her journey as Akko gratefully sunk into the fleecy mattress, humming a little to herself.

One after another her senses gradually returned, making her aware that the fleeting dream in the stars was over, and she was back in the waking world. Akko was so comfortable, so at peace as her thoughts grasped at the few remaining memories of what she'd seen like trying to seize falling glitter in the wind.

Remnants remained, but it was enough to make her smile as she lay there. Matters of the day were crawling up her mind, but Akko kept them at bay as best she could. Only a few moments more in that gilded time was all she wanted.

After a few quiet minutes, Akko squinted her eyes open to scan the room, noticing its familiar blank ochre walls and the closed window above the headboard of the bed she was tucked into. There were light grey clouds formed in the sky, drizzling out a rain so light she couldn't hear its pattering on the other side of the glass.

It was a familiar sight, not her room, but the infirmary; a place she'd woken up in maybe a dozen times before either from being caught in a messy magical explosion or smashing into something after getting a little too cocky on her broom.

Without moving, she managed to catch the sight of Professor Ursula sitting quietly on a wicker chair in the corner of the room to Akko's right, focusing her attention to the pages of some old tome open in her lap. Her mentor had changed back to her casual red tracksuit, a sight that Akko was a little disappointed about.

That was when she swiftly recalled her last conscious thoughts of losing her balance and fainting from sheer fan-girling at Shiny Chariot's _impressive_ angles. The momentary image of those contours nearly hypnotised her into another blushing daze, but Akko relented against those inglorious feelings without really understanding why, anxiously shifting a little under her sheets.

Ursula must've noticed her slight movements as the older witch sat up quickly, letting the book she was reading to fall unceremoniously to the floor.

"Akko! You're awake…thank the stars…" Her mentor sighed contently as she stepped forward and knelt beside her bed, her nervous eyes holding back tears of relief. "How do you feel?"

Akko managed to sit herself up, and although she felt fine for the most part, her body felt oddly depleted as a dull spike of pain stung her mind from the minute movement. She was somewhat rested but without the gusto to actually get up any time soon.

"I'm a bit groggy, but I think I'll be ok…" Akko reassured Ursula with her winning smile, to which the crimson-haired witch visibly relaxed as she let out a relieved breath, a tenseness easing from her shoulders. Though Akko vaguely remembered what had happened, she still felt the need to ask Ursula for confirmation. "What happened, Professor? Did I fall down the stairs to your office again?"

A wash of beholden guilt graced Ursula's tired face, making Akko regret having needed to ask, but she got her answer regardless.

"Yes. You hit your head but didn't suffer any damage. However, you seemed to have caught a slight fever from…over-excitement, I think…"

Akko felt her face grow hot, again battling her inner self to maintain control from wandering too far into the more cheeky parts of her thoughts. Ursula continued to speak, unable to meet Akko's gaze as she went on, her words becoming laborious and regretful.

"It was my fault, Akko. I-I really should have known better! I don't know what I was thinking…"

Akko couldn't stand to see Ursula beat herself up, having had enough of seeing such a sight after long-forgiving her for the mistakes of the past.

"Hey, come on! It was _my_ fault if anything! I was just looking at your…uh…" She faked a cough, fighting down the blush crawling across her cheeks. "A-Anyway, you don't have to feel bad! I've just been seeing a lot of unexpected stuff lately, and I guess my brain wanted to take a vacation or something…"

Ursula calmed a little at Akko's rambling explanation, but her rueful smile showed she was still repentant.

"You don't understand, Akko. I-" She paused a moment, rearing back as she pursed her lips tight. "I knew you were coming to see me…that's why I changed…I wanted to make you happy…"

Akko lost her breath momentarily. What was she saying?

"I saw a glimmer of perception on an orb that tells the very near future…it told me you were coming, so I…prepared…"

This time it was Ursula's turn to blush, her red face growing hotter than her fiery mane with its sudden intensity. Akko gaped at her, and for like the fifth time in that day, felt at a loss for words. To her surprise, Ursula managed to find her voice first, murmuring something so quietly that Akko knew she wouldn't have heard if the room hadn't been almost completely silent as it was.

"When you were asleep, you called my name." She hushed and looked directly into Akko's eyes. "Did you dream of me, like I dreamt of you?"

Akko turned that sentence over and over in her head, like trying to flip a pancake with no clear sides. There'd been no mistake to what she'd heard. Ursula had dreamed of her…? _Her?_ For an instant she saw the Chariot from her dream whispering to her: _Do you love me, Akko?_

"Professor, do you…?" Akko fought to keep her voice from stammering, trying in vain to ignore the rapid beating of her uneasy heart. "Do you-?"

Ursula shot to her feet suddenly, startling Akko to recoil in her bed, snatching the sheets to her chin.

"AHHH! This is-this is-oh my goodness, Akko! What is happening here?!" She threw her arms up, clutching the burning cheeks of her blazing expression. Her legs kicked up in a blur of a stationary sprint, which looked oddly appropriate considering her attire. "I'm so sorry, I need to go! P-please forget this pleasant and completely platonic student-teacher exchange will you GOODBYE!"

Ursula's abrupt rant carried along with her in the midst of a panicky and impressively speedy retreat from the room, leaving Akko lying there on the bed utterly dazed from the suddenness of it all.

Unfortunately her swift exit saw Ursula forget to close the door behind her, but Akko's attention was still spinning in bemusement to properly notice until a familiar and unruly tuft of orange-flame hair poked in from the doorway.

"Hey Akko, I just saw Ursula sprint past. You feeling better?"

Atsuko snapped out of her reverie to see the confidant American scrapper leaning in from the door-frame expectantly, showing an odd constraint from barging in like she would normally.

"Oh, Amanda! You came to see me! I'll be ok, just a little tired." Akko greeted happily, pushing the recent encounter aside lest it freeze all her motor functions for good. Amanda grinned and shuffled inside, leaving the door open.

"Good to know. Gotta say, you've been getting pretty popular around here lately. Especially now that half the school saw you being carried by Shiny Chariot. I don't think anyone can blame ya for something like that. I saw a couple of gals with nosebleeds after that one."

Akko shrunk inwards into the bed, wishing the sheets would swallow her back into an easy dream where no such thing had occurred.

"But _man…"_ Amanda continued with a scoffing laugh, looking to the ceiling with an incredulous yet amused expression. "Professor Ursula can look _hot_ when she wants to, huh? Speaking of which, what made her run out of the room a minute ago? She was watching over you, right?"

Atsuko looked to her friend, hesitating to tell her the truth of what had happened. Regardless, Amanda's aloof, honest nature steadied her own nerve as she spoke from the heart.

"Amanda…the Professor said a few things." Akko said ungracefully. 'I don't know if any of it was true but…maybe she's in _love_ with me…"

"Do you love her back, Akko?" Amanda asked far too quickly, fixing her with a implacable stare that flowed right through the brunette's reservations, leaving her to balk at such a forward question.

"What…?! Uhhh, I-I don't know…really!" She stumbled to form a more seamless reply. "Ursula is-Chariot is…aw man…"

Amanda hushed her gently, a pained and regretful expression blemishing her demeanour.

"Akko, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to just blurt that out. I got a little-what's the word-ah dammit! This isn't anywhere near as easy as it looked in my head, y'know?"

She trailed off a little, composing herself with a haughty sigh and an apologetic smirk.

"Just rest easy, alright? You probably got enough on your plate as it is. If you need help with anything later, let me know, yeah? I'll see you around."

Akko nodded cheerily at that, grateful for the offer.

"Sure! See you later!"

Amanda gave a casual wink as she exited through the door, pausing for a moment to glance at something behind the frame from out of Akko's field of view.

"How long are you gonna stand there, Constanze? If you wanna see her so bad just go in." Akko heard her say.

A little balled-up fist poked out from behind the door and bopped Amanda's thigh as she left, garnering an amused chuckle from the American. There was total silence after that with the door slightly ajar after Amanda's exit.

Akko watched as the door swung open a fraction by way of a little Stanbot skittering its legs against the floor in an adorable struggle. Constanze peered inside and seized up instantly when Akko spotted her; the Japanese girl throwing her arms out with an overly exuberant greeting.

"Constanze! Come in! Akko needs HUGS!" She practically screamed.

The tiny German squeaked in nervous surprise and disappeared from sight, leaving her Stanbot standing there for a moment before it spun to follow her but not before clonking its head against the door-frame on the way out.

"Aww…" Akko mumbled to herself but held a smile with a soft giggle. "Bye Constanze…"

Again the door had been left open a little, but Akko didn't concern herself with the fact. Somehow she knew that at any moment-

 _Tock Tock_

A soft knock sounded as couple of figures shuffled just outside.

"Akko? It's Lotte. Sucy and I came to see you."

Sure enough, her two best friends entered with welcoming smiles. Akko greeted them cheerfully, but her eyes practically shone like the Sorcerers Stone when she noticed Sucy had brought that tart she'd forgotten yet again.

"Yaay! You _guys…"_

Sucy actually laughed at that, a most unnervingly pleasant sound like hearing a shark sing a tune. She handed Akko and Lotte a little plate and spoon, grinning ear-to-ear the whole time.

"We figured you'd be hungry. Which wasn't a stretch, you're always hungry."

"Yerp!" Akko replied with a muffled tone, already stuffing a massive spoonful of the delicious treat into her eager jaws.

"Looks like you're feeling a lot better already." Lotte said earnestly, dipping a spoon into her own slice of tart with much more discipline than the brunette who was already carving seconds. "The nurse said you should stay in bed just to be safe. I'm just relieved your fever wasn't anything to worry about."

"The whole school won't stop talking about Shiny Chariots 'big comeback'. Looks like her biggest fan was her first victim." Sucy muttered sarcastically but still held a wry yet genuine grin. "I thought it was easy enough to rile up Professor Ursula already, now it's going to be so uncomplicated it might not be worth it any more."

"Sucy!" Lotte chastised her then turned to Akko with a shy bashful smile. "Let's chat about something else. I think Akko would like that."

Atsuko breathed a sigh of appreciative relief, returning Lotte's smile with earnest. The mousy girl was always so thoughtful and caring, always able to put the needs of others before her own. In that moment as the room soon filled with their excited chatter and laughter, Akko forgot all her troubles.

After a drawn-out guffaw from a surprisingly effective mushroom centric joke from the obvious culprit, the three little witches fell into a comfortable silence; aided by the calming patter of the growing rainfall against the window.

"Lotte, Sucy…I love you guys…" Akko murmured out of the blue, hugging her knees through the bedsheets tight to her chin with a soft smile.

"I love you, Akko"

The reply from her friends was oddly instantaneous and top of that they'd both said the exact same phrase at the same time. Akko thought it was kinda funny, but whatever humour buzzing within her turned to a cold sting when she noticed how Lotte and Sucy were staring at one another.

Atsuko had expected them to laugh awkwardly, but instead they continued to hold that stifling look between them; every second glooming their features to something Akko was inwardly hoping was a trick of the dimming light.

"You shouldn't interrupt, people." Sucy snapped at Lotte rudely, her lips curling into a nasty snarl. "For someone who's always so damn quiet you sure know how to yack out of turn."

Akko blinked owlishly at such an unneeded remark. Where in the world had that come from? Was Sucy just trying to be funny?

Lotte certainly hadn't found it amusing. Instead of relenting into a bemused silence as Akko thought she might, the bespectacled girl fired right back with unveiled insults of her own.

"Why d-don't you shut your mouth instead? Better yet, why don't you cram some mushrooms into it and be quiet for good?!" Lotte glared so vehemently that her face wrinkled around the rims of her glasses. "You _weirdo."_

"Guys…what…" Akko tried to smother the hateful flames between her friends, but her suddenly-weak voice choked in her throat. Before she could control her nerve to say something, _anything_ to mediate, Sucy abruptly hurled the plate she'd been holding across the room, shattering it into dust against the far wall.

Lotte was startled by the violent motion, but her anger flickered back stronger than before.

"Lotte. Why don't you just disappear?"

The sheer venom in Sucy's seething sentence drained the colour from Lotte's trembling face. Her anger crumbling away, ebbing to a clear misery as a flow of tears already streamed down her cheeks, pooling into her glasses with the volume.

"Idiot!" Lotte screamed shrilly, balling her little hands into shaking fists at her sides as she belted out her hatred at a stunned Sucy. "Idiot! _Idiot! IDIOT!"_

With a raw and warbling weep that practically rended Akko's heart right there and then, Lotte spun on her heel clumsily and ran out of the room; the slapping of the soles of her boots ringing out in the distance in tandem with the worsening rainfall outside, now effectively rumbling into a worrying storm.

Akko tentatively glanced at Sucy as the mushroom witch wilted miserably, her red eye half-lidded in an exhausted sadness. A single tear began to form in that crimson pool but Sucy fought it back with a touchy snort, wiping it away with her sleeve.

"I need to go." Sucy muttered, her stoic voice withered to a phantom of her usual persona. "This is my fault. Something is wrong with me..."

And just like that she ambled her way out of the room. Akko managed a weak 'Sucy…!' as she left, but was unable to say anything more. Her emotions were twisted in her gut, strangling her reason along with her will.

Sucy shut the door softly, leaving Akko alone with the rain. A distant roar of thunder sounded as Akko wept quietly into her knees.

=][=

Diana froze in place in the corridor just outside the infirmary when she heard a girls' pained shouting from inside the room Akko was supposed to be resting in. Her senses sharpened to danger on instinct, almost forcing herself to barge into the room against her better judgement. The door suddenly whipped open as the Yanson girl bolted out of the room and ran noisily down the opposite end of the corridor. Diana had only caught the briefest glance of her face, but she could tell the poor girl was beset by hapless tears.

Taking a tentative step towards the infirmary door, Diana halted again when Manbavaran emerged from within. She was shuffling slowly with no pep in her step whatsoever, looking more like a mournful ghost gliding across the tile.

She passed by Diana and spared no signal at all that she'd noticed her, hovering away to the far end as the glum reflections of the raindrops on the windows she passed framed her empty form.

Diana felt a painful tug in her heart then, realising something awful must have happened in that room. Akko needed her.

The strange occurrences of late were already damaging the bonds Atsuko had formed. Was she too late, Diana mulled with a gnawing dread in her core.

 _Akko needs me_

Another voice spoke in her mind. It was hers, but it was strong…and selfish. She tried to silence it but that only made it louder, along with causing a spark that tingled throughout her body and prickled out to her fingertips.

 _And I need her…_

=][=

 **Things get tricky. I know this one was a little sad, but it's my intention to have a happy end. A little bit of conflict will hopefully make it have a bigger payoff. Will have more up soon-ish. Please let me know what you guys think! Few things make me happier than feedback for my work.**


	5. Love and War

**AN: Ok, here's another one! After this point in the story, things will start to move very fast until the Twilight Ball, where it will hopefully explode. This chapter is from Diana's POV, and the one's that follow will focus on the other main girls in their bid to win the big silly prize. Now, I love Diakko as much as the next gal, but there's already a welcome amount of that around already. Whilst this is her chapter, nothing is set in stone in regards to its end. All the main girls will have a chance to shine (especially Cons, who I've criminally underused), this is a harem after all :P Have fun, eh!**

 **Some replies first:**

 **Pyskoakuma: Thanks again for all the recent reviews. And for introducing me to that annoying Shooting Star meme :)**

 **8ytan: Yah, last chapter was a bit sad. This will not turn to angst though. Hope you'll stick with it.**

 **Your Intellegence: I appreciate your continued support friend. Your critique will not fall on deaf itchy ears.**

 **Kid-face1028: Here's your fix for that addiction. I hope it's up to scratch.**

 **Duwangchew: Thanks for the reviews. Yes, that Chariot costume is real nice~**

 **YaKuKu: Your reviews have so much energy to them! It fires me up to write no joke. I appreciate that enthusiasm!**

 **Thanks as well to all the guest and anon reviewers. You may be clouded in mystery but my appreciation sure ain't.**

 **Little Harem Academia**

 _Love and War_

Diana had always strove to set a strong example of cordial composure; to not rise quickly to anger, to never scathe or snap with or without provocation, but most importantly, at least to her, was to take the utmost care in wreathing her own wild emotions in an unbreakable shell of self-control.

Powerful feelings were a danger. A beautiful, silver guillotine hanging ever poised over one's status and being, always vulnerable to fall on the behest of those who would see her fail and burn.

Her mother, bless her eternal soul, had fallen victim to such a thing. Her love and compassion shining brighter than her soul, extinguishing it eventually before her time. Diana's sole wish was to be even half the splendour of a person she was; to hoist the Cavendish name to the loftiest primes it could achieve. But she would do it guarded, wary and calculated from the dangers of the untamed, of the unpredictable.

She would repeat such a mantra in her thoughts any time doubt stubbornly crawled into her. But as she stood there, poised in front of the infirmary door that led to where Atsuko Kagari lay crying; her hiccuping sorrowful tears audible even through the storm, Diana Cavendish continued to be pinned by total indecision.

Her feelings, her… _love_ for that foolish girl were running abound unchecked. She could not stifle them. Had she simply barged in as that voice commanded, Diana would not be able to stop herself from throwing her arms around the weeping girl, to gush out her feelings and say everything that there was to say until she was riddled into a crying, shameful mess herself.

But that was a wretched thing to do. Akko was vulnerable, her cheery beaming shield of reckless self-confidence broken. To take advantage of such an occurrence…Diana could not do such a thing!

That was why her will was torn. Why she continued to stand there unmoving. Perhaps to simply return to her own room and scribble triflings into her journal would be the most sensible course of action. As much as it pained her to leave Akko to such sadness, Diana reassured herself that the girl's spirits would blaze again to the dizzying heights she was used to, at least partially, by a goods nights rest. With that in mind, she finally set the decision in place to attempt to speak with her tomorrow, when hopefully the both of them would be in better, more becoming form.

Diana shifted on her feet, swivelling to head back to her room but there in the distance behind one the pillars, she felt something amiss; a veiled presence…eyes watching her…

There was nothing visible, but Diana's clairvoyance with the unseen shimmerings of elusive magic told her otherwise. Though she tensed, Diana did not betray anything to let the presence know she was aware of being watched.

"Is someone there…?"

Diana blinked to herself in surprise, her own chosen words sounding from elsewhere, specifically from behind the infirmary door. Akko had somehow noticed Diana loitering outside, absently impressing the heiress with her perceptiveness, or had she simply made too much noise?

Heedless of the reason, Diana chose to quickly respond, putting the spectator out of sight and mind; another worry on her ever-growing list.

"My apologies, Atsuko. It's Diana. I came here to check on you, but…" Diana hesitated but proceeded tentatively. "I arrived to a commotion, and saw your friends leaving. My apologies, but it seems this a bad time. I shall let you rest, and wish for your quick recovery. If you would care to, I wish to speak to you of some concerns I have on a later day. Pardon my interruption."

Diana hadn't even moved her feet when Akko's meek, trembling voice uttered a single sentence in reply.

"Diana, I don't want to be alone…"

She could hear the cheerless pleading timbre in her voice, and Diana's pained heart simply could not refuse her. With some trepidation she slowly opened the door and entered, announcing her entry rather needlessly.

"Ok, Atsuko. I'm coming in."

Akko managed a small, weak laugh from her bed, unable to mask the slight hiccups in her speech.

"Haha, you don't have to be s-so formal (hic), but thanks for coming to see me."

There was a disquieting silence that followed as Diana simply gazed at the girl, her normally bright complexion paled by fatigue, save for the reddening around her eyes and cheeks from recent crying. She was clutching her knees to her, sitting rigidly, and currently fixing Diana with tear-glistened auburn eyes that melted her cast will like simple wax over an inferno. It more than hurt Diana to see Akko like that, a sudden frightening blaze in her core almost moving her to tears herself. She wanted to do anything to help her, to throw her arms around the small, slender girl and pour out her heart and soul to her, to promise everything that could be promised, and even that which she could not.

"D-Diana, hey…you don't have to cry…I'm fine, really!"

How foolish of her. Diana had meant to control her emotions but the sight of the girl she loved breaking from sadness had shattered her own bravado. She felt like an idiot, having entered there to console Akko, only to break down in tears of her own. With as much grace as she could manage, Diana wiped the tears away with a casual swipe of a fingertip then took a steady breath to relent against any more that could follow. Thankfully, Akko's wide-eyed comical and bewildered face cheered her up somewhat.

"I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to cry. It simply hurts to see you like this." When Akko smiled reassuringly at her sheepish apology, Diana proceeded cautiously with the obvious query, careful to pick her words lest she sadden the poor girl further. "…Did something happen with your friends? I heard you crying."

Whatever bright flicker remained in Akko's demeanour extinguished at that. Diana couldn't help but move herself to Akko's bedside, gingerly sitting parallel with her and placing a gentle, comforting hand on her shoulder. She felt the tense trembling from the girl unwind coolly under her touch.

"It was…" Akko was still trying to fight back tears, but she made a rather unladylike pout to keep them at bay. "It was so strange. We were just sitting around, chatting like always. Then I said something…something I've said to them a few times before. But the way they reacted to it was unbelievable…like they suddenly changed into different people…"

"What did you say to them?" Diana posed the question cautiously.

Akko turned to her, having been staring off at the opposite wall before. Diana felt herself having difficulty steadying her breath, subconsciously noting every contour and frame of Akko's delicate face. Her hand on Akko's shoulder almost shifted to the girls glowing cheek, wanting to cup that perfect pink and somehow transfer her own warmth to the girl, to heal all her hurt.

"I just said I loved them."

Her grip on Akko's shoulder tightened subtly at those words. Diana's face grew hot as well, despite the cool air, but she thanked the stars that Akko didn't seem to notice as she continued speaking.

"Then…then they turned on each other. It happened so fast it didn't seem real. I've never heard them say such mean things. And to each other of all people. What makes it worse…I feel like it was somehow my fault. I just don't understand why…why, _why_ …?"

Akko's voice wavered, bereft of its bright confidence. Diana could see that sadness that had wracked Akko slip back into her shivering body, the corners of her eyes pooling tiny droplets of tears.

Something tore inside Diana, and without reasoning, without thinking she pulled the brunette into a close hug, holding the stunned girl so tight her nose tickled from the loose bangs at the back of Akko's slight neck.

Diana shook a little, abruptly self-conscious of what she was doing, but in a lovely moment of unspoken compassion Akko returned the hug in earnest, almost knocking Diana over with its sudden force.

"Diana!" Akko exclaimed with a laugh, followed shortly by more cries, but these were softer and slow-winded, the kind one had at the tail end of sadness; twirling away into silence, unto thankful peace. Diana knew that kind very well. How many nights had she suffered through that same misery after the losses of her childhood? She didn't honestly know if Akko had been burdened by similar tribulations, but that wasn't what mattered. Akko's sadness wasn't something she would simply idle by. The girl had dropped everything in her life once to help her realise so much about herself. Diana would do everything she could to ease her pain in return. It was the least she could do. But the thorned truth in her heart had also had a say in her conviction.

She just wanted to keep Akko close.

"Atsuko, you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened." Diana reassured her, whispering soothingly as she parted the hug and resumed to gaze right into her eyes. She felt an effortless grin grace her lips when she noticed Akko had a bright genuine smile of her own. "It's not your fault. In fact, I do believe there is something amiss at Luna Nova that might be having a hand in these difficult situations."

Another emotion ignited in Akko's fiery eyes. A blazing determination that had many a time made Diana doubt any impossibilities of that world. That there was simply no barrier that could stand in her way. Diana felt a spring of relief at that familiar look.

"Yeah, there's definitely something up. There's been a lot of weird things happening lately. Even with you during our last class together when-"

"Yes I remember." Diana sniped quickly, preferring to forget such an incident. She'd used magic to heal her face, but her pride wasn't something that could be repaired in the same fashion.

Akko must've picked up on her mounting embarrassment as her face lit up in a playful cheekiness, stifling a laugh with an adorable puff of her cheeks.

"You tried to touch my little friend up there." Akko arced her eyes upward at the bopping pigtail, swishing it about for emphasis. "You couldn't resist, hahaha!"

Diana reached out and tugged the little plume, earning a surprised but giggling yelp from the girl.

"Ow, haha! There you go again!"

"There, now we can put that behind us. Please don't make fun of me." Diana commanded sternly, but with a tinge of amusement in her tone as she released Akko's hair causing the girl to laugh again, loosing out the jubilant sounds as she threw herself back onto the bed clutching her abdomen.

The exuberant, unguarded emotion from the girl sprung about a little laugh of Diana's own though she covered her mouth with the back of the her palm as she did so. Such a little thing filled Diana with unbridled happiness. Only Akko seemed to coax such things from her, reminding her of the simple but cherished naivete of a childhood she could scarcely recall.

When the welcome moment of happy reprieve between them passed, Diana resumed her conversation with the important topic at hand.

"Allright then, Atsuko. We can agree that there's unseen forces at work here, and whatever it is seems to be revolving around you. That much is certain."

Akko nodded sagely, crossing her arms. 'Mh hm. I thought something was off about the way everyone's been treating me lately. At first I thought all the attention was kinda nice, but the longer it keeps going on the more my friends seem to drift away from each other. Like they're _fighting_ over me…oh man…'

There was no cause to correct Akko about a statement like that. Diana herself had felt that unwarranted twitch of hostility more than once that day. And of course, it had stemmed from her pining for Akko's attentions in lieu of anyone else. What a childish thing to let jealousy put her on the brink of such rash decisions. In hindsight, falling on her face was probably an easy pass compared to actually coming to blows with O'Neill or Manbavaran. In ancient days past, Witches would settle such disputes with Duels, but that practice had fallen out of favour due to the immense amounts of collateral damage.

"You're right. I saw it myself this morning. And…just before, of course. I don't honestly believe that your friends would attack each other unless there was something truly aberrant in the air. Especially with you present. People don't suddenly become aggressively jealous with no warning."

Akko blinked in surprise. Diana kicked herself mentally for letting something like that slip.

"Jealousy? You really think so? Jealous…of _me_ …?"

 _Of course they are, Atsuko. You're wonderful. They can see it just like I._ That was what Diana wanted to blurt out.

"Yes. You mentioned the word 'Love', and it caused a stir in them both. I'm no expert on such things, but I do believe that's what must have set them off."

Akko hummed a melancholic tone under her breath, turning back to stare at the opposite wall, immediately twisting a knot in Diana's heart from the absence of the girls' bewitching gaze.

"I don't know how to feel about something like that…" She murmured nervously, her demeanour drooping a little with some measure of fatigue and uncertainty. "It's just like with Professor Chariot before. She said that she dreams about me…that's not the kind of thing you tell just anyone. I think she's feeling something for me…just like the others."

Diana had heard about the Chariot incident, but what Akko had said made the thing seem incredibly indecent now. A bubbling frustration borne of jealousy rippled about her, bringing a rather elaborate image in her mind of herself and Chariot facing off in a destructive duel of fate atop a raging volcano, with Akko watching from below wearing that comely pink dress she'd donned that one time. With a mighty shout, the Great Shiny Chariot breaks off the fight to swoop down on a summoned golden dragon's back and scoop up a screeching Akko from the ground, carrying her off into the setting sun as Chariot cackled madly.

"Diana, hey. You allright? You look like a boiling kettle."

Akko's meek question snapped Diana out of her ridiculous fantasies, turning to see Akko staring at her with a slight tilt of the head.

"I was just…um…" Diana stumbled to reply without seeming odd, but that opportunity had already passed. Wracking her mind, Diana started speaking without picking specific words. "Atsuko, you should get some rest. If things continue to be prickly at your abode tomorrow, I invite you to stay at my lodgings. There is tea and cake."

Diana felt incredibly stupid before she'd finished. That was far too forward of her.

"That sounds great!" Akko answered unexpectedly, beaming that wondrous smile. "But I have only one condition…"

"N-name it!" Diana blurted far too quickly, feeling more and more like a fool with each crushing second.

"Could you make Hannah and Barbara change their hair if they haven't already? It's too weird, even for me."

Diana fought the urge to burst out laughing at such a request, but held her composure as she slid off Akko's bed and bowed gracefully to the girl.

"As you wish. Whatever is your desire in regards to my…invitation…" Diana didn't know what else to call it. "…I hope to assist you in whatever way you need to find the cause of all this unneeded drama. But for now, please get some rest, Atsuko. You're looking exhausted."

To further assist her point, Akko warbled out a dramatic yawn making for a rather unbecoming sight with her maw open wide enough to probably fit her wand within it without issue.

"Waaugh…yeah, you're probably right. Well, you're _always_ right. Nearly anyway. Wait that doesn't make sense, _heehee_ …" Akko mumbled, her eyes heavy-lidded with the near onset of sleep. Diana envied such an ability to become restful so quickly, even with all the recent toiling events. The heiress knew she was going to have trouble sleeping later that night. Seeing Akko graciously throw herself back onto her pillow and cover herself up with those warm sheets, Diana thought it best to not worry her about the presence she'd noticed outside. There was too much Diana didn't know at that point to make any significant movements in regards to it.

"Hey Diana?" Akko called out to her drowsily, her eyes already softly closed with the covers pulled to her little chin.

"Yes, Atsuko?" She replied warmly.

The girl sighed a little, the smallest of cheeky grins appearing on her lips as the remainder of her form visibly relaxed into a deep rest.

"Thanks for checking on me. And please…call me, Akko. Like you used to…"

A soft hush exhaled from her slightly-parted lips as Atsuko Kagari fell into a well-deserved slumber. Her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm to her peaceful breathing, her grinning face now a placid mask of pure bliss.

Diana felt a cool euphoria of peace wash through her as she watched Akko sleep so soundly. Of course that was quickly shattered when the girl splayed her arms and legs out with a retching snort, followed by a warbling symphony of snores that did not sound unlike some ancient beast meant for guarding treasure in some sodden cave at the core of the Old World.

She smiled warmly at that. Of course, it was so like her. To aid her rest, Diana dimmed the lights to the room with a murmured spell and a quick flick of her wand, but before she left the room proper, she concentrated her energy and cast a more robust incantation that bubbled outward with tiny flecks of golden light. Akko continued to snore loudly, totally unaware of the blanket of magic surrounding before it faded from sight but held strong in the ether. It mattered not whether Diana's wariness of the unseen figure outside was born of paranoia, there was no harm in casting a protective spell. Though she admitted it had come out much stronger than she expected, normally it was completely invisible to the untrained eye.

Diana exited the infirmary, making sure to close the door behind her as quietly as she could. It was only then that she noticed how rapidly her heart was beating and how shallow her strained breaths were. Fighting against those selfish urges had been much more taxing than she could've thought, even for someone of her admittedly strong constitution. Her own rest was something that could naturally follow after all. Perhaps if she could convince Hannah and Barbara to leave the chamber in order to revert their hairstyles as Akko had requested, it would give her enough reprieve to lay down for an early night.

Subtly in order to not give anything away, Diana scanned the corridor outside and saw nor felt anything out of place. There was no telling if that was a comforting revelation or not, but in the end with that spell in place Diana assured herself that Akko would rest easy that night.

Diana thought it best to put her weary concentration on the ever-present cloud of academics that hung about her mind as she trudged through the empty halls of Luna Nova. But every step she took sent a jolt through her psyche. Pages of arithmetic and spell compositions warped and tumbled in her brain as they were cast into a cold pit of indifference; easily replaced by unfiltered memories and fantasies of Atsuko Kagari once again. The first time they met, her beautiful performance at the Samhain Festival, that ridiculous way she would puff her face up in indignation just before doing something stubborn and stupid that would save the day.

Diana gingerly rubbed her temple as she walked, momentarily skipping attention to her surroundings. When she almost walked into a hanging lamp on a rod held by a startled witch, Diana couldn't help but jump in surprise, an apology already spilling from her lips.

"Oh! Pardon me, I was lost in thought…" Diana started but said nothing more when she noticed the witch she'd almost barged into was Ursula herself. The woman, thankfully, had gone back to wearing her usual faculty attire, but even in that subdued light she had to begrudgingly admit the woman was still of striking beauty. Almost to the point of…annoyance.

"Diana?" Ursula yelped and fumbled with the lamp, clocking herself in the head with it clumsily. "Ow! I'm sorry if I spooked you. I'm just out on an early patrol. This storm is quite troublesome, so the Headmistress asked me to keep a look out for any wandering students. Are you heading back to your room, Ms Cavendish?"

Ursula had posed the question innocently enough, and her concern seemed to be genuine. Diana had no reason to be suspicious of her. Yet…why was she displeased to run into her? Another fantastical image played in her mind, this time of Diana charging down the ridged back of a golden dragon as it soared through a tempest of clouds. Shiny Chariot met her charge with the flash of a magical beamsword of light, just as Diana did the same. Aqua blue and crimson beams clashed with furious snaps of energy as an elaborate dance of death took place. Akko was there again, watching from the sidelines shouting a name Diana could not hear, but dearly hoped was her own.

"Professor Ursula." Diana ignored her elders question, and asked her own, making the crimson-haired witch blink in mild astonishment. "What is Akko to you exactly?"

Diana noticed the hanging lamp shudder in Ursula's grip. The Professor looked indignant and immensely uncomfortable at such a question. Diana regretted having asked, but her boiling blood was making it impossible to think straight. What was she doing attacking her like that?

"Well…she's…what is this, Diana? I don't-"

Seeing how flustered she was, Diana interrupted her, but did her best to do so apologetically, casting aside that snide stinging jealousy with every fibre of her being. She thought back to Akko, and only Akko. She had to do what was best for her, not _herself!_

"Professor, I'm so sorry…that was rude of me. But I need you to listen to what I have to say."

Ursula could only nod slowly at that, her eyes still wide from meek shock. Diana felt terrible at putting her on the spot like that. Though the woman was through hiding her past, Ursula could still be so bashful and easily intimidated, despite her impressive powers.

"It might be too early to tell, but I have reason to believe something is amiss at Luna Nova. Whatever it is may be causing these "incidents" that have occurred recently…"

Even in the dark, Diana could see the nervous bright pink glow shine across the woman's features. There was no need for Diana to be specific, the whole academy had already been abuzz about it before the sun had even set.

Choosing to spare her further embarrassment, Diana got right to the point.

"As a result, Akko appears to be drawing a lot of attention. Some of it, I fear, might be cause for us to stay wary. Someone is watching her…"

Ursula stiffened, not in fear, but trepidation. Her instincts to protect Akko overriding whatever powerful doubts that would normally dull her fire. Just like that the shy meekness was gone, and Diana knew she'd coaxed Shiny Chariot from her silent shell.

"I see. It's not a longshot now that I think about it. There must be something going on that I can't see. If someone really is lurking about, I'll make sure whoever it is doesn't hurt Akko. I'll protect her, Diana. And I know I don't need to ask you to do the same."

"Naturally." Diana replied coolly, sounding far more confidant and cocky than she truly felt. "Now then, I'll be returning to my quarters."

She moved past her with light steps, but Ursula spoke up once more and Diana turned sideways to glance at her, trying to hide her faint surprise at the content expression the Professor was already fixing her with; her crimson eyes full of a powerful yet gentle glinting emotion Diana had come to know all too well.

"Akko really is special. To both of us...isn't she?"

Ursula took her leave with that, gliding away until the faint light from her lamp disappeared into the cloudy darkness of the yawning corridor.

Diana stood there, stunned momentarily before turning harshly on her heel and striding back to her room with unruly haste, her recent bout of fatigue whirling itself away amidst the storm of conflicting thoughts annoyingly bouncing about in her head.

There was no mistaking that glow in Shiny Chariots eyes.

It was Affection. It was _Love._

"How troublesome…" Diana growled darkly.

Her insipid fantasy flared once more that night, only this time Diana was flung from atop the soaring dragon's back by a fierce blow from Shiny Chariot, who laughed maniacally as Diana fell back to earth, screaming out Akko's name as her princess reached out in vain to try and catch her.

The fierce glare that formed on Diana's face was chilling enough to wilt Wagandea itself, had there been anyone around to witness it.

 _This isn't over_

=][=

 **Things will pick up the pace next chapter. Once the relationship dynamics are set in place, the battles will begin. Can't have Love without a bit of War, right? Or something like that.**


	6. Friend

**Yahallo~ I was writing a chapter and found it getting a bit too long, so I decided to release what I had on hand and have the next down the pipe for a bit later (I wanted Cons to have her own segment :P).**

 **A bit short but the next one won't take long (hopefully). Thanks so much to all those who've stuck with me. Let's kill some time until they announce the next season, _fingers triple-crossed_**

 **Had a silly idea of writing a crossover of sorts with some LWA characters and Warhammer 40k. May just be the stupidest thing ever, but hey, could be fun. Anyone interested in reading something like that?**

 **Ok, no more of my babbling. Have fun. More to come very soon!**

 **Little Harem Academia**

 _Friend_

Sucy could not remember a single time in her past where anyone around her had thought the Witch to be anything resembling "normal". Even in her youngest memories, where other boys and girls her age were frolicking about doing the random mischief expected of them, Sucy would instead be cultivating a ravenous plant life-form in her backyard with the express purpose of letting it gobble her up for fun. When word spread around the village of her odd taste in amusement, many were quick to shun her, which suited Sucy just fine for the most part. She preferred to be alone, enjoyed the peace and quiet where she could conduct her various experiments without annoying voices yapping into her ear about "Girls shouldn't do these things!"

She could put up with that to an extent, but what actually bothered Sucy were those other words that dripped from the forked tongues of the disparaging faces that hovered with cruel smiles about her centre of comfort.

 _Freak. Creepy. Psycho. Weirdo._

Over time she had built up a wall of indifference to the chiding. It became nothing but bothersome noise to her, much like everything else that didn't directly involve her or Sucy's collection of beloved poisons and concoctions.

But when Lotte, a girl who seemed to accept her for whom she was, used one of those hated words, it had ripped all those awful memories of teasing from the black tar pool of things she wanted to forget.

 _Lotte, why don't you just disappear?_

Her own voice. The venom she'd slung those words in wasn't something she had an antidote for. It poisoned her in ways that she hated, a sting of self-loathing that dripped cruel and slow through her mind. Lotte's screams of reprisal pierced through as well, in a numbing repetition that only got worse the more Sucy replayed it. She had to do something for Lotte, that sweet quiet girl. Apologising would be a good start, it was the only thing she could think of that could slow that deplorable guilt corroding her soul.

And with that Sucy discarded her pride and reservations before entering the room she shared with the mousy girl after almost an hour of delaying with mindless wandering about beforehand.

Lotte was there, her back turned as she lay defeated atop her bunk with her orb glowing in front of her to what Sucy spied to be some kind of fanfic website, although she didn't seem to scrolling through the text at all.

The girl tensed at Sucy's entry but did not move otherwise. Sucy couldn't blame her for wanting nothing to do with her then.

However, Sucy had been pondering a lot to herself in the time she'd been alone. Mostly it had to do with that word specifically: Alone. After so long of being in that state, of being with nothing but her own dry sarcastic monologues and mushrooms, Sucy realised something of immense value.

She did not want to be alone. The precious few friends she'd made at Luna Nova had become more important to her than anything that had come before. Sucy was not going to let something she treasured wither and die like some unwanted plant.

"Lotte." Sucy muttered, croaking as she barely formed the words. She sounded so pathetic, and felt as such when the girl didn't turn to respond.

"Lotte, I'm so sorry." Her voice easily broke then. Her bottom lip trembled as the tears she so stubbornly refused for so long forced her to squint her eyes shut to blot them out. Sucy's cries sounded so odd to her, more like soft hissing from some large reptile creature. She could not stop herself no matter how hard she tried. Dabbing her sleeve on her sodden, tear-soaked eyes, Sucy continued whilst still sniffing away more tears.

"I said some awful things. I meant them at the time, but I'd burn all the mushrooms in the world to take them back. If you can't forgive me, then that's ok. I just wanted you to know…and also…one more thing…"

Sucy took a sharp breath and managed to clear her vision from her bout of odd crying. Lotte was sitting up in her bed now, looking meekly sad and frail; her face reddened from the tears Sucy herself had caused the poor girl. But Sucy felt a flciker of hope that Lotte was hearing her out. She had to clear the air about what was happening before the chasm she'd created between them yawned any wider.

"Lotte, I love Akko. I love that lazy idiot more than I can put into words. It started small, started annoying actually, with the way she smiled and spoke to me like I was just anyone else. I never thought people that kind and selfless even existed, let alone took the time of day to be a friend to a wretch like me…"

Lotte looked at her pensively, her mouth pursed in anticipation like she wanted to blurt something out herself. Sucy noticed this and nodded to her, wordlessly imploring the flower-orange haired girl to speak her mind.

"I'm sorry too, Sucy…" She replied with a chirping squeak of a voice with a slight tremble in her little shoulders; clenched shaking hands clutching her wobbling knees as she hugged herself. "I can't believe what I said to you. I wanted to hurt you…but I didn't know why. Gosh, that wasn't like me at all, Sucy…I'm sorry, I'm _sorry…"_

Lotte started to ramble a little, losing her composure to the onset of further crying so Sucy stepped forward onto her tiptoes and reached out to gently grasp the shy girls' hands in her own, tracing soft circles along the backs of her palms.

Lotte was a mildly stunned at first, probably not expecting someone as aloof as Sucy to use such a forward and compassionate gesture like that. But she did not pull away to Sucy's relief, and soon her cries subsided to allow a warm acceptance of comfort to glow between them.

"I love her too, Sucy…" She whispered so restfully the winds outside nearly masked her words entirely. "Every night we'd read together, I felt a little closer to her…until…well…"

"I know." Sucy hushed, slowly slipping her hands free from Lotte's, but held a soft and compassionate grin. "We're not the only ones around here who feel that way."

Lotte hugged herself tighter to her knees as a sheepish melancholic air seemed to take hold of her.

"Yeah, it's been kinda hard to miss, huh?" She feigned a weak smile. "But I guess it can't be helped. Akko's…like a Sun among the clouds, gleaming through the storms…" She giggled a bit to herself at the corny line and added clarification. "Nightfall volume 32…we read that one together…"

"Yeah. I woke up one night to get some water and saw you two reading on your bed. You both were so into it you didn't notice me at all. It was…kinda cute."

Lotte blushed furiously at that, flashing a wide grin before trying to hide her face behind her knees.

"That's what makes Akko special isn't it?" Sucy continued, pausing to stare at the rain slicked window of their room. "It doesn't matter who you are, what you do. She'll see all the good in you and make you feel no shame for it."

Lotte hummed in reply, her content tone saying enough.

"So…what's going to happen between us?" The mousy girl asked expectantly. Sucy turned back to fix her with a determined gaze that flared only once a purple moon for someone like her.

"Let's join forces!" She hissed excitedly with a wicked glint of her sharp smile. "We both love Akko. But we're her friends too. If we fight each other, we're only going to push her away. We work together, we can love her together. Unless you want Diana, Amanda or Chariot to swoop in and take her away?"

Lotte sat up to the edge of her bunk, struck by a similar sentiment of excited recklessness she balled up her hands with a little fist pump as she yelped her agreement.

"Y-Yeah! We saw Akko first, right? We can't let the others win! Belle never gave up either, not even when the Vampire Queens of Drakenhof tried to snatch Edgar away for marriage!"

Lotte's eyes were ablaze as her confidence seemed to erupt from the inspiration of her beloved book series. Sucy was impressed that such a simple hobby could stir the normally meek girl to such a height of rash yet positive abandon. All of a sudden Sucy felt an itch to brush aside her taciturn nature.

"Say, Lotte. Are you feeling tired?"

"Not really. I'm kinda excited actually."

Sucy nodded and grinned cordially at the girl.

"Wanna read one of those books together? I would've never admitted to it normally, but I've been meaning to get started with them eventually. Just don't tell Akko…"

The surprised yet delightful smile that crossed Lotte's face annihilated every last trace of misery Sucy had been feeling up to that point. A catharsis of joy welled deep within Sucy as the cheerful girl gave her curt enthusiastic reply, excitedly patting the cushion beside her atop the bunk.

"Hop on! Get ready for an adventure!"

=][=

A storm blanketed the grounds of Luna Nova all through its chilly night with ceaseless rain and occasional rumblings of temperate thunder. The experience was somewhat relaxing, as the weather never truly reached a distressing crescendo instead settling on a mild outpouring of raindrops that calmed the nerves and soothed the usual sounds of the night to a comforting white noise. The odd thunderclap rumbled in the far distance, occasionally flaring its brief light against the darkening walls and corners of the academy.

Nary a thing was awake in that stillness, save for one individual waiting patiently for such a opportunity. She'd come far too close to being spotted several hours earlier by that Cavendish girl; a particular person who would not be underestimated again. Only an abrupt masking spell on top of the one she'd already cast hid her presence enough that the Princess of Luna Nova had walked right past her without a second glance.

The spell she'd cast was actually forbidden; something that even Luna Nova's faculty elite would not use on account of simply how dangerous it was to cast on someone, let alone their own person. It did not make someone invisible, but actually completely intangible for a moment; literally dipping your very essence as a living, breathing being into a world utterly detached from anything resembling those words. If used without due caution, it could make someone cease to exist not just physically, but from the hearts and minds of all who may have known that person at all. It was even more insane to use the spell on oneself, as stepping back from the anti-ether was akin to trying to grasp a light of infinite colours and forcing it to do one's bidding.

Even so, there she stood between worlds; waiting for the right moment to have the spell lifted so she could see Akko up close and administer the potion that would…that would…

"Wait, what's it going to do again?" She asked her Friend. It appeared before her, taking the form of a tiny azure butterfly glowing with an eerie luminescence; the patter of its wings far too slow to keep afloat, but then it didn't seem to follow any rules of her world regardless. Much like herself, her friend was unseen and unheard by all. The first time she'd spoke, it seemed to be a figment of her mind and nothing more, but as her friend allowed her to cast impossible magic she'd never had a hope to use otherwise, it became clear that the little butterfly was much more than a meagre imagination.

 _It matters not to know such things, the time is at hand. That witch, Chariot Du Nord, has been watching this area far too closely, feeling out for magic disturbances. Perhaps she knows more than I anticipated. That girl always seems to surprise me._

She had to insist that time. Friend wasn't being clear with her.

"Please, you need to tell me what this potion will do. Akko is…I don't want to hurt her…"

 _Don't you love her, as I do?_

"I do but…"

 _Then this will weave your fate with hers. Isn't that what you want? The two of us can have her and no one else will ever interfere._

"This isn't right. You can't just force people to-"

She thought to remove the various cloaking spells around her, but suddenly felt her blood run cold with an iciness that spread to every inch of her body. Her will shifted, her doubts and reservations molded to something unknown and unwelcoming.

But then it was done. She understood that Friend only wanted what was best. Questioning her would do nothing but delay the inevitable.

 _Good child. Please don't make me control you like that. Now you know what must be done. Go my little Zero. Make our dreams truth._

Zero was not her name. But Friend said it as such and so it was. She would not question, she would be nothing without her guidance, less than Zero.

Her body phased through the infirmary door and became whole for the first time in many hours. It had to be this way if Zero was to give the sleeping girl the potion. The rain masked her already silent steps as she approached Akko, shaking a little from the trepidation of what she was about to do.

 _No! GET BACK!_

Friend roared hysterically within her mind as Zero took one more step before freezing in place. Her head suddenly spiked horribly in a splitting pain that crumbled the girl to her knees; clutching at the tufts of her hair as she shrieked a silent scream. A piercing golden light took form in front of her, coalescing into a swirling vortex that separated her from getting any closer. The mass of magic ceased its motion for a second, then promptly surged forward and _slammed_ into her with such force her feet left the ground, catapulting Zero into the opposite wall with a shock of impact, just as a teal of thunder cracked outside; illuminating the darkened room in a flash of sudden light.

A moment passed as she stood with her back to wall, somehow keeping on her feet. A dull but manageable pain thrummed through her as she breathed heavily, wracking her thoughts as to what had just happened.

The truth was she had no idea why she was even in that room. Atsuko Kagari was asleep in a bed in front of her, snoring loudly despite the odd thunderclap outside that didn't so much as cause a stir in the girl.

Had she…sleepwalked there just to see her? Such a thought made her feel weird and uncomfortable. She did want to see Akko, but not like that! If she woke up and saw her…

Though there was plenty of ambient noise about, she made every possible effort to move quietly and leave Atsuko to her rest, closing the infirmary door behind her as slowly as her trembling hands would allow.

Walking back out to the winding deserted corridors to return to her dormitory, the girl chose to try and forget what had transpired. But deep down she knew something was wrong with her, there were no delusions about that. Was she becoming a danger to herself? A danger to Akko?

A disembodied voice whispered silent in her thoughts, scratching away at the corners in a bid to escape the feeble walls trying to keep it contained to no avail.

"Please, I don't want this…!" She gasped out loud and lost her footing as her legs suddenly grew weak but she managed to catch herself from falling by grasping at a wall that met her desperate grip by sheer luck.

 _Zero, you need rest. We will try again another time, my child._

The voice. Her Friend. Yes, she understood then. With lethargic, unnatural steps Zero moved herself back to her dormitory, a faded glowing butterfly barely visible and fluttering in her wake.

=][=

 **Intrigue! Sort of! Back to fluffy hijinx next. Please leave a review if you liked, hated, or settled on a creamy middle. Feedback is fuel and hope for writers. FuelHope!**


	7. Amalie von Braunschbank-Albrechtsberger

**Hey all you witches and wizards out there. Here's more of this thing. Anyone else looking forward to that LWA game? Looks so bloody cute! Can't wait to run around Luna Nova and digest every piece of dialogue I can find. Oh and blowing shit up with Cons too, of course.**

 **Replies Yo:**

 **Psykoakuma: Cheers for sticking with this little thing. So Avery would be your pick? Maybe, maybe not :P**

 **8ytan: Thanks for the continued reading, friend. Ya, Zero is not an OC. (I'm not good at those, I either make them boring or an asshole.)**

 **Your Intellegence: I appreciate the support. Thanks for taking the time to read and review so regularly.**

 **Anon: Y'know I considered using Woody as part of the regular harem, but there's so many characters to juggle out of the gate that I couldn't see how to fit her in. Would've liked to use her, maybe I still can and make her totally jelly.**

 **YaKuKu: Aww, thanks :) It makes me happy you're enjoying it. I feel amped!**

 **Kid face1028: Stay with me! I got another shot for ya lol**

 **Reviewer: Yes~ Chariot needs the love. I'm happy you found a bit of a laugh from this.**

 **Away we go. Some silly references in this one. Find em all and get free hugs!**

 **Little Harem Academia**

 _Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank-Albrechtsberger_

Constanze wasn't the type of person who attracted much attention from her peers aside from the initial curiosity of her "quirks." That was the nicest way she could think of describing her more odd features. She had trouble speaking, she liked machines and engineering, she was small and German with a name hardly anyone was able to remember no matter how many times she had to write it down for them. That was the gist of what most people saw her for, and usually where their interest in her ended. Most of the time she was fine letting others think what they wanted in regards to her personality, she didn't try to hide the fact she didn't deal too well with the nuances and complicated machinations of peer-to-peer relations. In the end it gave her plenty of time to delve into the peerless clockwork of her main passion and hobby; inventing and building things with every last scrap and tool the girl could find.

At times Constanze would get distracted, as all great inventors would. Like right then as she sat indecisive at her desk in the buzzing sanctuary of her hidden workshop; her pen poised an inch away from an entirely blank piece of paper. She'd wanted to jot down a blueprint for some kind of robot, or a flying fortress, or _anything_ at all really…but that day her total block of creativity continued without any end in sight. With a gruff sigh she flicked the pen aside and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms as she glanced about at the rest of her workshop. Papers were scattered everywhere, tools and kits splayed about without rhyme or reason, blackboards clogging the floorspace inefficiently with unfinished scrawlings dotting them…Constanze was at a loss as to how such a mess had built up. Last time it'd gotten that bad Akko had been-

-and there it was. Like a red-hot piece of iron applied to a bath of icy water, Constanze's thoughts refused to reshape unto her will. She'd been trying to refocus on anything to take her mind off the girl, but yet again Akko's image sparked brightly, reforged stronger than ever before.

"Uuugh…" The little German patted the sides of her head repeatedly, frustrated at her absolute lack of progress. She'd gotten up earlier than normal and after confirming with the head nurse that Akko would be right as rain that morning, she'd thought it kind to send a few of her Stanbots to the infirmary in order to drop off all the particular effects Akko would be needing for the day. She had hoped a simple and helpful act such as that would help her move on a little so Constanze could focus her efforts on things that weren't utterly beyond her abilities as a person.

Of course, Constanze knew she'd only made her lingering feelings sting more painfully; prickling her rustic and stubborn heart with a wave of emotions so alien to her it made it practically impossible to shunt them aside.

Akko would be grateful, maybe the girl would take a minute to thank her. That was enough for Constanze, wasn't it?

She looked about herself pensively at all the scrambled items littering her workshop. The papers, the blackboards, diagrams…it all pertained to Atsuko Kagari. Renderings of her smiling innocent face, recreations of the time they'd fought together in that robot Akko had inspired her to create, a still of her laughing in joy as she rode that customised broom Constanze had built to thank her…

…It wasn't enough. That girl had a power over her that no amount of metal and material could hold back. That brief time Akko had took it upon herself to help her during the Wild Hunt remained her happiest memory to date; scorching within the furnace of her heart; powering it to a blinding flare strong enough that Constanze could believe in herself to create _anything_.

One of her Stanbots sauntered clumsily over to her after emerging from a little hatch in the wall. It saluted before giving a status report.

" _Beep!_ Master. Task is finished. Atsuko has been properly supplied and outfitted. Mood levels: High. She wants to thank you."

Constanze peered at her little helper, nodding in acknowledgement and little bit of relief as she allowed herself a small smile. She did raise an eyebrow questioningly when she noticed the Stanbot was holding something in one of its stubby arms; a small glass vial containing some kind of swirling liquid she'd never laid eyes upon. The Stanbot raised the peculiar item to which Constanze took it in her hand, raising it to her eyes to get a closer look. Shades of ochre and amber twisted and turned within the vial as what seemed like miniature cyclones spun from within it; coalescing and reshaping endlessly and without momentum to the vial holding it at all.

"Hm…?" Constanze queried at the Stanbot, tearing her gaze away from the fascinating concoction which was honestly starting to give her a headache.

"Found it. Found it _bzzt._ In the room we were sent. On the floor. Did not belong to Akko. No Data Available. Took initiative to bring it to Master."

She nodded at that, pleased with her helpers work. After setting the vial carefully on a stand at her desk and petting her Stanbot affectionately atop its clunky head, Constanze began to pace about a little as she wondered what else to do for that day. She did have a few classes later in the day but an extended study period was the rut she found herself in until then. A few minutes were spent deliberating on whether to try and study the odd liquid brought to her, thinking it may just be some powerful fuel source she could use on a new robot prototype, but she thought better than to get stuck in; the reason being twofold. One, her expertise was metal and machines not mystery fluids and two, her concentration was still muddled with constant thoughts of that particular Japanese girl.

Constanze had been so consumed in her thoughts she'd jumped three feet into the air like a sprung cat when her friend and team mate Amanda O'Neill came flying into the room from the entrance chute in the ceiling. The brash redhead emerged with an acrobatic twirl and a confidant laugh as she stuck a perfect landing on the couch.

"Yo!" She greeted with a wide toothy smile and promptly hopped off the couch, ambling towards Constanze but slowing her pace considerably as she looked about at all the scattered Akko "Research" littering nearly ever square centimetre of that room. Constanze immediately berated herself mentally for putting off the clean up for so long, and felt an increasing heat of embarrassment flare across her face as Amanda stopped to get a better look at some of the diagrams and pictures, turning them over in her hands with wide curious eyes.

"Wow. Look at these things. Just like the other morning, huh? Only more of em." She carefully stepped over a haphazard stack of frame-by-frame renderings on the mechanics of Akko's smile. "A lot more. Is this what you've been doing lately, Cons? Didn't pin you for such an artist."

Constanze blushed madly, gripping the sides of her chair in the hope she could somehow command it to launch into space. Unfortunately that prototype was in the other room and not ready for testing.

Amanda continued to carefully edge her way through the mess and stopped again but at one of the many blackboards that time. On it was a hyper-detailed diagram of an 'AtsukoTron T-1000'; a shape-shifting robot that the German girl lacked a powerful enough memory chip to even consider building. "Hey, I like this one!" Amanda pointed to it with a cheerful chuckle. 'It says it can imitate anything it touches? Now that I'd like to see.'

The boisterous girl soon reached Constanze, regarding her patiently with hands on hips and a knowing smile to go with it.

"This is some…heavy stuff, I gotta say." Amanda began as she glanced about the room once more before settling her brilliant green eyes on the girl. She managed to pull a loose stool that had been knocked to the floor from the various debris and sat herself down, leaning expectantly towards her. Constanze couldn't move, couldn't do anything except continue to stew in the nervous shame of her own making, dreading whatever it was Amanda wanted to talk about. Considering the state of her workshop, she honestly didn't have to hazard a guess.

"Cons…you're going all red." Amanda went on, but her voice was measured, comforting even. Constanze had expected the American to berate her with jokes and jabs, so to hear her such trepidation from Amanda calmed her down a little. "You ok to talk for a bit?"

"Hm." Constanze murmured with a sharp nod, still sizzling from nervousness but with a better measure of control. Amanda could be surprisingly compassionate and understanding when she allowed herself.

"Y'know, I'm really not good at this kind of thing. But I think it'd be good if you talked to me about all this. The other day, when we went to visit Akko in the infirmary…I got a bit worried. You split right out of there without even going in. Akko seemed pretty happy to see you…"

Constanze's breath caught in her throat at the mere mention of that girl, but she stubbornly willed it to flow once more. She'd briefly pictured that warm and fuzzy image of Akko sitting up from her bed, beaming happily at the mere sight of Constanze peeking out from the doorway, the brunette's arms wide ready to wrap her up in one of those darling hugs that cleaned the little German off her feet and unto a cloud nine of intangible bliss. It'd been one of those things Constanze had never expected to miss so much at the time.

 _Constanze! Akko needs Hugs!_

But she'd run away. Akko's light. Akko's unconditional kindness had blinded her. Had she had the nerve to leap into the waiting girls' arms, Constanze felt an immense desire to never let go would have overcome her.

"I was…" Constanze managed to peter out a scarce few words, to which Amanda leant further forward from her stool, her brow raised in slight astonishment, but graciously waited for her to continue at her own timid pace. "…Scared, Amanda. Akko is…bright. Too bright…"

Amanda hummed in reply, resting back in her seat as she looked to the ceiling, seemingly deliberating in her own thoughts.

"Constanze…" She said slowly. "There's something I need to confess. You'll hear me out, won't ya?"

Constanze nodded gently with a soft murmur under her breath, prompting the redhead to go on. She was a little taken aback with how hesitant Amanda was to speaking further as she continued to avoid eye contact; emerald green eyes tracing randomly across the ceiling as a light-pink dust of a blush glowed on her well-defined cheeks.

"Constanze…" Amanda repeated her name and thinly grit her teeth between her laboured words. "I've been trying to get a bit closer to Akko recently. It's been a lot harder than I thought. That girl's gotten a lot of new admirers lately. Sometimes I feel I can't get along with her friends any more because of the way they look at me; like I'm some snake hiding in the grass. Geez, what a pain in the ass this is turning out to be…"

She didn't know how to respond to that. What was Amanda trying to tell her? That she loved Akko too? That Constanze's childish desires would be further shoved into an abyss of apathy as Amanda, Diana, and who knows who else trampled her heart with carefree flourishes of dance that the shy girl could not imagine herself doing. Why did things always turn out that way for her? She supposed it was her fault for the most part, in particular due to her reluctance to speak, or even make that great an effort to grow closer to others as opposed to pushing them aside at gunpoint if need be.

It hurt so much. To have such feelings but be unable to express them. It seemed so easy for others to laugh and love…but for her…Constanze didn't…she couldn't…

"Listen, Cons…I'm getting a little off track. What I wanted to say was, I've been trying to get closer to Akko…for you…"

Constanze blinked in surprise at that, looking to the American girl with questioning eyes. Amanda was staring back with her nerve shaken and wavering; arms crossed tight to her chest as if shielding herself from a pain Constanze could not see.

"Akko's a great girl. A great friend to me. I don't know if I feel for her the same way you do, Cons. That's why it breaks my damn heart to see you hiding yourself away like this. I thought if I got friendlier with her, it would've helped you open up to her a little instead of doing it alone. But that didn't work…and now I feel like I made things worse for you…"

Constanze was at a loss watching the cast-iron will of her friend and team mate melt before her eyes as the American poured out her heart and soul to her. Her own insipid embarrassment was nothing in comparison to what Amanda appeared to be going through. Constanze felt…touched and cherished that her friend had such strong feelings of concern for her, even though the German girl had shut herself away like a child.

"I don't want to see you alone, Constanze. You think it gets easier but it doesn't. Trust me, I've been there. After a while you fool yourself into thinking its ok not to care, to just let crap like this go by like its a goddamn bus to a better life…I won't let that happen. I won't let you…"

Amanda stomped to her feet and leapt towards her, making Constanze yelp briefly at the sudden movement. She shut her eyes on reflex, unsure of what was happening at first, but she soon realised the much-larger girl had thrown her arms around her, cradling Constanze in a powerful and firm hug as the American buried her face in her tiny shoulder as best as could be managed.

Constanze felt an easy smile grace her face, returning the warm gesture and adding a few little pats of reassurance to Amanda's back, humming softly as she did so. That girl, her perfect mirror. For the first time in her life Constanze understood perfectly what it meant to have a true friend. Amanda wanted her to be happy, and in turn Constanze felt an invincible strength surge in her compact frame, a passion and power that belied any limitations caused by doubt, all so she could make Amanda happy in return.

"What do you want me to do?" Constanze asked her as they parted the hug slowly, surprised at the sound of her own voice coming out so steadily. Amanda rekindled her signature smirk and moved over to a wooden stand holding pads of big A3 sheets of paper nearby, flipping the current image of a Warlord Class Akko-Titan over the top to a new page before excitedly snatching a nearby blue marker and scribbling something onto the blank sheet.

Constanze watched the girls back, curious as to what the she was writing with such energy. Amanda soon stepped to the side of the page to show that she'd simply written her own name in all caps; each word big, bold and lined vertically.

"The real question, little Cons, is what _you_ want to do!" Amanda pointed the marker at her, putting the little German on the spot with the sudden question. Normally she would've scrambled for an answer or tried to construct some sort of jetpack for a quick get away, but the steel-born determination in Amanda's eyes reinforced her courage so she answered without hesitation.

"I have to tell Akko. Tell her how I feel."

"Right! Which brings me to the first step of the patented Amanda Operations System!" The girl yelled excitedly and put the marker to the first letter of her name on the page. Constanze had no clue what kind of system Amanda was on about, but she chose to humour her nevertheless. For a moment she comprehended how people like Amanda and Akko would constantly get into trouble yet brush it off as nothing more than mere inconvenience; it felt _liberating_ to simply go along with reckless enthusiasm. Anything was better than moping around!

Constanze continued to watch intrigued as Amanda jotted down a line next to the A on the page; completing it to read ' **A** ssure Confession'.

"That's where it all starts. If you're the first to confess, your chances of a successful mission increase by 42 percent on that alone! Ok Cons, next we have-" Amanda wrote down the next bit next to the M as she spoke. "- **M** ake her dreams true! Find out exactly what it is she wants to do more than anything in the world and help her any way you can to that end. It doesn't matter what as long as your heart is in it, yeah? A girl like Akko will respond to something like that."

Constanze nodded fervently, whipping out a pen and paper from a satchel on her waist. She didn't know where Amanda was pulling the metrics from, but felt compelled to intently write down everything she was saying. Her analytical mind hummed with latent power as she formulated Amanda's system in her mind to the best of her abilities and quashed any second guessing.

"Now onto the next A: **A** SSERT YOURSELF!" Amanda yelled loudly to hammer the point home more effectively, adding in a sharp slap to the page that spooked and amused Constanze in equal measures. "Be noticed! Take the plunge and make her see you. But remember not to force it the way Diana did at breakfast yesterday. Akko will scamper out of there faster than a mouse on sugar if she gets put on the spot. Wait for the perfect moment, and if that doesn't happen, we will _make_ it happen!"

"Hm, hm!" Constanze offered an enthusiastic thumbs up in acknowledgement and continued to scrawl on her notepad, already four pages deep.

"Next! This is a simple one…" Amanda punched her fist into her palm, the sharp sound ringing out from the impact. " **N** o Fear! Don't listen to that voice that tells you 'Ooh this is scary, this is a bad idea' or anything like that, right?. Punch that voice in the face and move on, got it!?"

"Ja!" Constanze yelped confidently in reply, defaulting to her mother tongue.

"Awesome, Cons! That brings us to… **D** on't compare! That means don't worry about what everyone else is doing. Don't think about what qualities you think they have that you might not! Every second you spend doing that is a damn waste, ya got me!?"

Constanze threw up a sharp military salute in response.

Amanda laughed at that and mimicked the gesture with a goofy yet somehow endearing flourish of her hips, displaying her penchant for exuberant dance with an added twirl as she spun quickly and planted the tip of the marker to the last letter of her name on the page.

"Last one!" Amanda threw out a devilish grin. "Wanna take a guess?"

Constanze hopped off her chair and pointed to the spot on the page with shaking triumph.

" **A** cquire…Akko!" She screamed louder than she ever had before in her quiet life. Amanda's face lit up in bright fervour at her response, her grin growing not only wider but also somehow softer at the same time, like a wise master just vindicated that their ancient teachings were finally grasped by their hopeful pupil.

"Ya got it, don'cha?" Amanda said in a soft voice, holding that effervescent smile. Constanze stared into the brilliant green of the American's stern eyes, suddenly feeling put on the spot for a few silent seconds until Amanda whirled her gaze back to the page and smacked each completed letter with the tip of her marker in sequence.

"A-M-A-N-D-A! The Amanda Operations System! That's that! Phew!"

With a dramatic and whooping exhale of breath Amanda dropped the marker like a smoking microphone and sat back down on her stool, fanning herself with one hand as she leaned backwards with the other gripped to the base of her seat.

"Oooh!" Constanze started to clap, genuinely impressed at such a performance. A few of her Stanbots had gathered as Amanda had been surging through her presentation and joined in with the applause, clinking their little hands together in appreciation.

"Haha, no worries. I'm just glad you didn't laugh…" Amanda chuckled a little whilst sheepishly rubbing the back of her wild tufts of fiery hair, then she eyed Constanze with a mischievous arc of her brow. "So what do you say, Cons? Ready to fly?"

Constanze mirrored the American's sly look before responding the best way she knew how; an ardent double thumbs-up.

=][=

 **Phew. Ok, I've got some bits written for the next chapter. Finally get to use Hannah and Barbara a little more. Hope you'll tune in, but thanks so much for reading! Any feedback is always appreciated; a Witch can never truly fly without it!**


	8. Ice and Fire

**I've never wanted a new season for a show so badly. There's so much more adventure to be had. More impossible romance to aspire to! Don't let our dreams be dreams, Trigger! DO IT!**

 **On another note, is it just me or are movies simply getting worse :P**

 **Replies!**

 **Anon: Hey thanks for that, you're too kind. I'll try and shed some light on what Chariot was dreaming if I can fit it in somewhere.**

 **Oscar: Much appreciated :) I'm a fan of Diakko yes, they do seem to go together so well~ But I suppose this isn't a "typical" harem…the most obvious guy/girl doesn't always win. That always annoyed me about harem anime. The others never get a chance :(**

 **Psykoakuma: A million thanks for sticking around to read my lil fic! I wouldn't quite say Amanda is out of the running, but I won't give too much away lol. And "HunaBuns?", I'm stealing that one.**

 **TheSwordslinger: Writing Diakko fluff flows so much easier, it's like they were made-to-be. Learning to Fly is my favourite fic with that pairing, I recommend it. Hopefully I can add more of that sugar a bit down the line. Thanks for the review!**

 **Your Intellegence: Thanks for pointing that bit out about Amanda's speech. I adjusted it with your feedback. "Bloody" is way more of a typically Aussie thing, yeah. It didn't fit her at all, haha…** **I very much appreciate your continued support, so thank you~**

 **Baka-akko: Cheers for the review! I figured Amanda could be a good wingman for lil Constanze, because if the roles were reversed I feel O'Neill would push her out of the running completely. It's a better dynamic methinks. Although, I have some other developments in mind eyy~**

 **Ok, here's another. Bigga is betta! I** _ **hope!**_

 ** _Little Harem Academia_**

 _ **Ice and Fire**_

It was a bright new day for Atsuko Kagari at Luna Nova quite literally. The humbling storm from the night had given way to clear cloudless skies and an incandescent welcoming sun basking the Academy in a cordial light that made even the humblest of verdant plant-life glimmer in the dew of recent and refreshing rainfall.

Much like all that rain Akko's own misgivings trailed away into the mush of the soft earth beneath her feet as she happily jogged to meet her friends at their usual spot; that brisk and open patch of roiling green grass next to a few benches within the courtyard. The girl had slept well, and for a change hadn't been hammered over the head with strange (yet oddly enticing) dreams, aiding in keeping her mind and matters clear. She'd woken up well rested to the sight of a gaggle of Stanbots bringing in all the things she'd be needing for that day, including her Shiny Rod for good measure. She'd meant to thank them with spontaneous hugs but the little guys scattered like mice from her overly eager reach. In any case, Akko made sure to remind herself to thank that lovable little witch properly next time she saw her, if Akko could catch Constanze that is! That crafty German had learnt some effective techniques to avoid her grasp of late; always having some kind of gadget on hand to assist in wriggling out of Akko's grip. One time she'd cornered Constanze on an upper balcony but the girl had made a hasty exit using smoke pellets and a handy jetpack.

After she'd gathered her things earlier, the nurse had given Akko a note handed in by Lotte and Sucy which had been most likely written by the latter of her two friends.

 _Lotte and I wanted to say sorry. Meet us at the courtyard for breakfast? We stole a cake for you._

Akko could practically hear Sucy's dry monotone wrapped in those simple sentences. A wave of relief crashed over her after she'd read it and without any delay bolted like the Shooting Star towards her destination for that day.

Soon enough she reached them, her first and closest friends at Luna Nova. Lotte and Sucy had been seated at the bench near their usual spot and had sat up quickly when they spotted Akko storming towards them with reckless energy. Lotte's mouth opened a fraction as if to say something, but her greeting did not reach even a syllable as Akko collided with both of them in a furious hug that effectively sat them back down and tipped the whole bench over with the sudden force.

Akko, Sucy, and Lotte flipped over the seat and tumbled to the dewy grass in a heap, with the Japanese girl somehow still keeping the two in a firm hug as she lay between them and sobbed dramatically.

"You guyss~ " Akko blubbered through giant tears as she sat herself up and yanked the two up with her so they sat upright. The two witches stared at her with a wide eyed anxiousness in their slightly blushing expressions. Sucy in particular seemed frozen rigid on the spot, her shoulders hunched in tight at the sudden contact due to Akko's lack of boundaries.

"You don't know how happy it makes me that you guys aren't fighting any more! Promise me you'll never do that again! Promise!"

Lotte and Sucy glanced at each other, still working to compose themselves after the initial Akko raid. Then with a shared giggle between them they turned back to Akko, genuine smiles all around.

"We promise Akko. We did a terrible thing and we're so sorry…It wasn't right for us to fight like that, especially in front of you." Lotte said with her shy cheeriness. "Sucy and I talked it out…we're all friends and we always will be, no matter what happens."

"I'm sorry too, Akko and-" Sucy began with an apologetic smile that soon twisted into something mischievous as the girl pointed to something at Akko's chest. "-it looks like you made quick use of our apology gift."

"Eh?" Akko quipped and looked down at herself to see a wonderfully flattened mess of cream and sugar plastered all over the front of her uniform. "WAAAAH! The cake! I'm so sorry…!"

Her friends simply burst out in raucous varied laughter; Lotte giggling in a high yet reserved pitch whilst Sucy chittered away in her unique hissing of amusement.

"Aww, come on!" Akko relented with a touchy pout and got to her feet properly as she snapped her hands to her hips in indignation. Unfortunately the curt movement caused the largest chunk of the splattered cake to slip off her form and right onto her shoes, earning another exasperated shriek from the girl that her friends had heard all too often. Their laughs only grew louder and merrier as Akko joined in with them, losing themselves in a moment of vapid yet all-together idyllic happiness.

The comfortable moment passed and the three little witches found themselves sitting on the righted bench that Akko had toppled, with the cheery Japanese girl giggling childishly from the inadvertent tickling that occurred as her friends went about dabbing the mess from her clothes with tissues meant for the eating of the cake proper.

"Pffff~ Haahaha! T-Take it easy! That's my funny spot!"

"Seems like they're all funny spots…" Lotte added with a chiding sigh and a smile as she continued the clean up diligently.

"Hold still, klutz. Classes start soon and we'll all be late if you don't let us finish up here." Sucy added with a more straightforward annoyance in her tone.

"Oh yeah, class…HA!" Akko naturally felt an uneasy worry with that word, not helped by another ticklish yelp. To her own credit, Akko could remember which one was first for the day… "We've got Magic Astronomy up first, huh?"

Akko recalled the Chariot incident vividly, the mere thought of those scant few moments still giving her a queasy unfamiliar feeling in her gut; like spinning euphoria that was as pleasant as it was confusingly annoying. Akko must've been showing outward signs of her worry, her sudden lack of ticklishness as her body went taut probably being the biggest tip-off. Lotte and Sucy finished up their cleaning and looked to her with an apprehension that Akko couldn't quite pin down the origin of. Yes she was still a little embarrassed at passing out from Chariots _saucy_ splendour, but that had been the end of it, right? Akko would've much rather have her friends tease her about it than suddenly fall into a tense silence the way the had. It grimly reminded her of what Diana had spoken to her about the night before, explaining that her friends had snapped at each other over their jealousy of _her._

She still couldn't quite wrap her thoughts around something like that as she glanced at the two of them in turn, garnering patient and friendly smiles from them both. They were her friends. She did love them, of course. That hadn't changed at all. But for them…maybe…there was something different…

"Akko, we know what you're thinking." Sucy spoke up with a slight tilt of her head, fixing her deep ruby-red eye on the girl as a few loose strands of her violet hair masked her face.

"Y-you do?" Akko stammered in response; sitting up straight as if shocked by a tiny thunderbolt that somehow made her pigtail point skyward.

"Yeah…" Lotte added in meekly. Akko turned to see her friend leaning forward a bit with that same expectant tilt to her posture. "You must be a little worried about seeing Chariot again, right? Especially with everyone in the school still talking about it. Apparently she made a few more 'fans' from that little show alone…"

"I heard she even knocked Professor Lukic on her ass when she rounded a corner. She must have a bone to pick with me or something." Sucy added darkly with a subtle flash of her teeth.

"T-thats..!" Akko stopped herself before crossing her arms in a huff and continuing haughtily. They were only half-right, she was a little anxious to see Chariot again, but also…no she wouldn't trouble herself with those other thoughts in that moment. Right there and then Akko had to set the record straight. "I'm a little nervous, yeah! But none of what happened yesterday changes anything. She's still Professor Chariot to me and I love her the same way I love you guys! So…can we put all that behind us? Can we keep things as they've always been?"

Two gentle hands fell on her shoulders as both of her dear friends nodded in tandem to her words.

"Nothing has to change if you don't want it to, Akko." Lotte reassured her soothingly. "I'm just happy to be by your side."

"Yeah, where else am I going to find a better guinea pig? You're the only person in the world who'd sleep soundly even with a funnel jammed into your mouth."

"Sucy!"

The casual laughter that followed cleared the tense air and Akko felt an immense relief that maybe, just maybe, the rest of the day would go by as she wished it to; with laughter, kindness and fun.

"Ok, we better head to class then. Along with metamorphosis magic, the Stars have always been pretty friendly with me. It'll be no problem, I know it!" Akko boasted with cheery bravado.

"You'll be seeing stars alright if the Professor wears that outfit again." Sucy added with a mirthless snicker.

"Sucy! Too soon!"

=][=

"Barbara, hey!" Hannah's voice cut right through her clouded thoughts, bringing her back to Earth with a very uncomfy jolt. She was sitting down for breakfast in the cafeteria but hadn't so much as nibbled on the spread of the delicious sandwiches on her plate, courtesy of Diana's splendid cooking of course. Their appointed leader was several paces away discussing something with Professor Finnelan out of earshot, her straight posture exuding an aura of cool confidence as it always did. She loved the way Diana would cross her arms evenly and with a very slight and coy uptick of her lead leg. It looked both imperious and refined. Princess and Warrior Both. So cool!

"Sorry, Hannah." She tore her prying gaze away from their leader to meet her close friends attention. Hannah arced her brow slightly as she munched away at one of the sandwiches casually; her free hand propped on her cheek as she looked at Barbara quizzically. "Had my head in the clouds for a bit. Like, was just wondering what Diana's thinking and all."

Hannah nodded in agreement and it was her turn to look at Diana that time, sandwich still poised in her mouth but managing to somehow talk through it, a trick only Hannah seemed to pull off.

"Yeah, she's been a bit weird lately. First she's got no problem with our hair, then she basically forces us to change it back the same day. I can't figure her out sometimes."

"Why DID we copy Akko's style for anyway?" Barbara posed the question to herself as much as her best friend.

Hannah actually paused her sandwich devouring at that and looked back to her with mild confusion in her sharp features.

"You know, I don't have the slightest clue. But there is a little something _else_ that's floating about. It's…ahh…nevermind."

Barbara wasn't satisfied with an answer like that. Her curiosity and passion for gossip would not allow her to leave a tidbit like that to lie!

"Aww, c'mon! Tell me, Hannah! We both know I'm not going to stop bugging you until you spill it! So like, out with it!"

She posed that demand with a tinge of playfulness, trying to pry into Hannah's own desire to chat about juicy foibles.

"Well…" Hannah started but not before taking a more thoughtful bite of her sandwich. Barbara perked up, eager to hear whatever it is her friend was willing to divulge. "You noticed that Diana seems to have a soft spot for Atsuko, right?"

Barbara scoffed at that, her reply dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, you noticed _that,_ Hannah? Like, Diana can't seem to stop talking about her sometimes. Not to mention that badmouthing Atsuko is uhh…what would you call it…?"

"Diana's berserk button." Hannah took her words right out of her with a wry grin. "Can't blame her. I still feel a little bad about the things we used to say about her. Atsuko is still a total ditz, but I get where Diana is coming from. But right now, there's something else going on with her."

"Do tell, do tell!" Barbara pushed, her excitement buzzing at the prospect of a new revelation.

"When I talked to her this morning about the first class of the day, she got these _eyes."_

"Eyes? What?"

Hannah coughed a little in preparation and pulled off the impression rather than explain it. She cupped her hand to her chin and narrowed her eyes dangerously to slits, piercing Barbara with the cold intensity of such a glare.

"Eeeh! Scary!" Barbara recoiled at the sight. If Hannah's version of the expression was so effective, it would've looked absolutely chilling from the genuine article. No wonder Hannah had remembered it so vividly!

"Right?" Hannah defaulted back to a more sly and cheery look, looking awfully pleased at herself from garnering such a reaction. "And I think I got a good idea why she wore that look too!"

Barbara wracked her own mind for the answer herself, putting whatever scattered pieces she could gather together. The first class that day was Magical Astronomy. Diana had no problem with the class itself, she had no problem with any class at all for that matter. But then she thought of that _other_ piece of juicy gossip floating around since the day before. And just like that a wonderfully scandalous picture began to form. She glanced at Hannah with wide-eyed realisation to what she was getting at.

"Professor Ursula…!" Barbara blurted a little too loudly, snapping her palm to her mouth on reflex.

Hannah's sly grin crawled wider across her face.

"Now you're getting it. Everyone saw Ursula cradling Akko in her arms like a little princess when she ran through the school just as we were switching classes, and wearing that racy outfit too! Remember how long Diana was gone when she told us she wanted to check on Atsuko afterwards? Something tells me our Princess is feeling a teensy bit protective of something that a certain red-haired teacher tried to swoop in on!"

Barbara squealed in astonished delight at that, barely containing herself in her seat. That was so wrong! Ursula was a teacher, she wouldn't…would she? The mere thought of it made her cheeks burn. And now Diana was supposedly in the mix? What would become of such a thing?

"Ooooh!" Barbara howled in tense delight, earning an amused giggle from her friend. "That's not right! It has to be something else that set Diana off. I know she likes Akko but…you really think Ursula likes her too? Like, _like-like?"_

Hannah snickered at the rather immature language and nodded off to the side, gesturing to something with a quick poke of her chin.

"Here she comes now. Maybe you should ask her?" Hannah dared with another mocking laugh.

"Whaaat? No way, you do it!"

Diana had reached them before that conversation had gotten any where further. Barbara and Hannah fell quiet as their leader and friend sat herself down between them, already sipping away from an elaborately decorative teacup. The silence was unnerving, especially considering how often the two girls would normally fill the air with their chatter. Strangely, Diana did not perk up with her expected concern at their silence, instead continuing to sip away at her tea in regular intervals.

Barbara took a tiny bite out of her sandwich more for appearances than anything, trying to will herself to take the plunge and find out what was bugging her friend. But as Barbara took in Diana's presence, any words she might've been able to mutter never made it past the tip of her tongue.

Diana Cavendish seemed to _burn_ with palpable danger. She sat stock upright and rigid, icy blue eyes fixed forward and staring into an abyss of her own troubled thoughts; an ever so subtle but unmissable frown marking the edges of her immaculately cut eyebrows. She looked as if there was some unseen voice insulting her every second and it was taking the entire sum of her being to keep from bursting into some kind of mad tirade.

In the end, it was Hannah who hazarded a might peep into the den of hornets, meekly probing the frost-blonde with an innocent question.

"Heyy~, Diana. How are you?"

Diana didn't respond at first, still taking sips of her tea with rigid, mechanical routine. A few uncomfortable seconds later, the heiress managed a response that was as hollow as it was sweetly forced.

"I am fine, girls. I simply have a lot on my mind."

Hannah managed a shaky but cordial hum in response.

"Okay…" Barbara mumbled, unable to think of anything more eloquent to add to the fruitless conversation with her friends. She idly traced where it was Diana was looking and saw nothing of note except the far end of the cafeteria mingled with other students enjoying their breakfast. But then she spotted her, barely visible amongst a gaggle of faculty members gathered near the arch that lead to the halls.

Professor Ursula was staring right at Diana. Barbara thought she was imagining it, but it almost seemed as if the red eyes of the teacher were somehow catching the light flowing into the room, reflecting her orbs to look like twin crimson stars gleaming wickedly; like a great galaxy rending weapon tearing through the cosmos without mercy.

Barbara turned back to Diana, trembling from even the second hand glance from Ursula. Her friend was still drinking her tea but from an empty cup no less, her eyes now utterly devoid of their warmth, morphed into relentless gems of sky-blue ice, withering all caught in her gaze to shatter like loose plumes of frost caught in a hurricane. Barbara shared a rightfully concerned look with Hannah, who seemed to have noticed what was happening as well.

"D-Diana! Hey!" Hannah managed to blurt out, just as the teacup in Diana's hand froze in mid-motion and promptly cracked in her grip. With a few puzzled blinks she set her cup down and looked to her friends, a fragment of her reserved kindness shining through to them.

"Forgive me, Hannah, Barbara. How are you two feeling this morning? Anything troubling?"

"Troubling?!" Barbara couldn't help but blurt out incredulously. "Like, you could say that!"

"Seriously, Diana." Hannah chimed in with a worrywart expression, a single bead of sweat trailing her temple. "What was with all that staring? Are you…angry with Professor Ursula…?"

Diana huffed at that with a graceful flick of her hair, closing her eyes as she replied hotly.

"Heavens no. I simply wish to _annihilate_ her."

A beat passed. A chunk of Hannah's sandwich tipped out of her lolling mouth and splattered onto her lap.

"HUH?!" Barbara spat in shock and dropped her own sandwich onto the table. "Whatwhatwhat?!"

Diana seemed to be as shocked as they were, suddenly going wide-eyed as she palmed her forehead in a manner totally unfitting of her.

"Girls, if I have but one request to make on this day, it is that you pretend I did not just say that out loud."

Barbara relented from bursting out with spontaneous laughter when she realised Diana did not just tell some crude joke. "O-okey dokey, then…" Was all she could manage to say.

The rest of breakfast passed in stifling quiet, except for a shriek of disgust from Hannah when she finally noticed the remnants of a sandwich sitting in a half-chewed goop in her lap.

"EEEK! Aw, that's _so_ gross!"

=][=

Red Team filed into Professor Ursula's Magic Astronomy class amongst a chattering flock of assorted Luna Nova students. Akko had been apprehensive of seeing Chariot again every step of the way, after all her teacher's parting words last they spoke had been nothing short of baffling. That wasn't even mentioning that fact that her teacher and mentor had confessed that she'd been _dreaming_ about Akko...

Part of Akko was rabid with curiosity on that subject. That Chariot dreamt of her at all was enthralling enough, but she kinda wanted to know what shape those dreams were taking. Were they anything like the ones Akko had the previous nights? The girl had had similar dreams in the past before she'd even met her idol, but those ones had been more benign, innocent, not quite so…what word would she use…?

The group of students shuffling about in front of her parted to their respective seats, giving Akko a proper view of the cause of her tension. Professor Chariot leant placidly against her desk with a student roster in hand and a beaming, welcoming smile to greet her students that bright morning. A ray of sunshine lanced in from one of the windows, glancing off her crimson hair and making it gently sparkle like a calm flowing sea of strawberry. When she caught sight of Akko there was a slight friendly twinkle in her eyes, born of familiarity and favour both.

"Good morning, Akko, Sucy, Lotte. Let's have a productive day, shall we?"

Akko responded on instinct, yawping her reply so loudly everyone in the class stopped their preparations for a moment to stare at her.

"HELLO CHARIOT!"

A few hushed voices around the room snickered and giggled. Akko could hear Lotte utter a nervous laugh and Sucy audibly groan from behind her.

Chariot blinked with a nervous tip of her head, her smile wavering a fraction but holding.

"A-ara…you seem excited…"

Akko had forgotten how to walk but thankfully her friends were there to back her up and push her firmly towards their seats in the middle of the room, the amused giggling from some students still rippling the air.

"Now, now. Let's quiet down." Chariot said sternly and glanced at her roster again. "Let's see, it looks like we're almost all here…except…"

Though Akko was shrunk in her seat from embarrassment, she picked up on a sharp shift in her mentors tone and looked up from the dry oak of her desk to see Chariot staring at the open doorway just as Diana Cavendish strode in with Hannah and Barbara in tow.

The air seemed to leave the room as Diana walked in with her eyes closed somehow finding her way as she fluidly slinked over to her to own seat. Her lackeys seemed fearful and tiny in her presence, as if they could feel something emanating from the girl; a mist of some kind, volatile and ready to spark into something dangerous without warning.

Heck, Akko could _see_ it. The space around the girl shifted and warped the details of the room at her edges. Was that her magic? It seemed to Akko like Diana was intentionally phasing her power outwards, as if the girl was trying to intimidate someone.

"Want me to pick your jaw up off the floor?" Sucy commented drily from the seat to her left, snapping Akko from her daze.

"Huh? Wait I wasn't…!"

She couldn't think of a snappy reply at all and simply fell quiet with a grumble. Without even meaning to she spared another quick look at Diana and couldn't help but make a high-pitched squeal of shock when she saw the heiress already looking back at her.

"Good morning, Akko." Diana grinned wide, ever so slightly flashing her perfectly-set milk-white teeth. Akko had never seen the girl throw out such an unfiltered gesture like that. It felt exclusive, private. For her and only her, it seemed to say. A wave of happiness began to spring from her core as she smiled back, but that feeling promptly ran into a brick wall when a sharp whip-crack of a sound made not only her but everyone in the class jump in their seats.

Professor Chariot had slammed her roster onto the her desk with enough force to visibly embed it into the flat of its surface. Her glasses reflected in a bright sheen that hid her eyes, masking the target of her gaze.

"Let us begin, class." She murmured slowly with a deliberate thorned inflection in each of her words. Not a trace of friendly little Ursula seemed present in that frozen moment.

When Chariot moved on with the lesson, a glimmer of her warm, caring nature shone through, but Akko knew her idol well enough to tell the woman was simply putting on an act. Her smiles and words were like bright fireworks in the dark; a distraction from something shaded lurking inside of her. Akko swore she saw her visibly tense any time she passed anywhere near Diana, whom appeared to be gripping her hands so tightly her nails dug into her palms, betraying her aloof composure to be an act too as Akko feared.

The intensity snapping through the atmosphere seemed to be felt by everyone there as not even a peep sounded from the whole class. At one point one of Akko's quills fluttered out of her grip and fell beyond her desk in front of her, to which Sucy offered a timid pat on her shoulder with a knowing shake of her head as if to say ' _It's gone now.'_

The minutes in that class seemed to stretch for hours as the sole voice present in that stifling silence continued without challenge. Chariot closed the various blinds above the windows with a quick swish of her wand and moved on to some intermediate Star Divination, conjuring a wide map of interstellar constellations and planets that glowed in a soft blue hum of magic. The varied items hung in the air at eye level, slowly orbiting Chariot herself but in a wide enough ring so that some of the farther stars and planets floated amongst the desks of the students. One brilliant silver star in particular twinkled right in front of Akko, whom felt herself calm a fraction as she became lost in its glittering light, even as Chariot continued the lecture

"Reading the Cosmos is very difficult, even for a Professor like me. The future is a constant, but also highly malleable by the present shifting of time itself. It is a paradox of sorts. But with careful study, it is possible to pin down the result of certain events with a certain degree of success-"

"Like the Twilight Ball for example?"

The class drew in a heaving collective breath at the interruption, all eyes falling on the standing figure of Diana Cavendish from her seat with her arms crossed loosely at her chest and imperious eyes staring Chariot down, challenging her.

Chariot fell silent and appeared slightly agitated at the rudeness coming from the girl, but she did not chastise the heiress as expected. When the Professor seemed unsure or unwilling to answer back, Diana spoke further, now taking a few curt steps away from her desk and towards Chariot as she continued.

"With all due respect, _Professor…"_ The sniping in Diana's tone told Akko that she had anything but that. "…I can read the stars as well as you. Perhaps you can divulge to the class what the Star in front of Ms Kagari represents in regards to the Twilight Ball?"

Chariot whipped her wand outwards and immediately dispelled the cosmos in the room, shattering the stars and planets into glinting shards that faded quickly into the dark. The star that had hung in front of Akko promptly went supernova right in her face, causing her to yelp and cover up defensively.

With another downward whip of her wand that hissed sharply as it cut the air, the blinds and covers to the windows retracted as one, basking the room back into sudden light that temporarily blinded a number of students. Akko lowered her hands from the sun that had harmlessly exploded in front of her and saw Diana still holding her ground in front of the Professor, now almost toe-to-toe with her. She couldn't see what expression Diana wore from looking at her back, but the stung venomous glare from Chariot that bore into the blonde girl couldn't have meant it was anything friendly.

"Not another word, Cavendish." Chariot challenged her imperiously, her wand still held fast in her white-knuckled hand.

"Or what?" Diana countered, slightly tilting her head upwards to better meet her Professors defiant glare.

"Witch Duel. Courtyard. Now."

"I accept."

The reply had been swift, but it seemed to electrify the students all around the room. Abruptly a staccato of hushed voices and excited whispers cut through the previous silence.

"Did she say Duel? No way!"

"I've only seen those in the movies…"

"They saw something the Stars…is that why-?"

"Diana won't lose!"

The voices grew louder and more frequent until the room had basically burst into a crashing sea of noise, annihilating the silence from before to never return. The moment Chariot and Diana strode quickly out of the room caused the noise to reach a fever pitch as every student in the room shot up from the seats and piled out through the open door after them, whooping and cheering all the way.

Akko and her friends were the last to get to their feet. They shared worried and confused glances amongst themselves, but Akko put it best into words as she threw her hands up in the air hysterically.

"What the hell just happened?!"

"Oh nooo~, this going to be bad…" Lotte murmured anxiously, cupping her cheeks in her hands with a troubled shake of her head.

"Akko." Sucy drew her friends' attention, staring back at her with a shrewd yet concerned look of her own. "It's War. They're going to War."

=][=

 **Starship Troopers theme plays**

 **Yeaaah, this is fun. Thanks for reading! Please review if you have a minute or two to spare, it means so much to us writers.**

 **-Queen**


	9. You, Me, Dancing!

**Sorry for taking a little while longer to update. I went on a roadtrip and got terribly sick on said roadtrip! Woo! I'm feeling a bit better now so I figured I could use this free time to write somethin' fun and silly. Once again, I hope I can help you forget your troubles in these trying times, at least for a little bit, dear readers. Let's go!**

 **Replies for da best:**

 **BetwixtOni: Go ahead and stare…harder! The scrutinising eyes of the unseen are never creepy. Maybe I'll stare right back, eh? There, now we're on the same page.**

 **Psykoakuma: Hello, friend. I admit, you got me thinking of what Chariot and Diana settling their differences in _other_ ways might look like…and well, that would be a hell of a twist! Maybe a story for another time…and a stronger rating :P.**

 **The Swordslinger: Wa-hey! That would be an racy development for sure. And yes, Yuri is a powerful thing no? I don't even like other girls but when I see it in anime it's like audio/visual crack. But no stress, it just means we're human.**

 **Lotion: Thanks, friend! Yes, Chariot needs more love. Diana always hogs the spotlight, and as much as I like her pairing with Akko, I wanted to do something different here. There's already plenty of great fics with those two. I recommend "Everlasting" for that sugary craving.**

 **Duwangchew: Thank _you_ for reading! I'm glad you're still liking it.**

 **Your Intellegence: Thanks again, friend! Yes, once that that tension started it did kind of outpace everything else. Conflict is a spice of any good drama, I say.**

 **Reviewer 7: Thanks for reviewing, mate. Yes, this rivalry is a lot of fun to write. I always thought they were cordial to each other on the show, and would've liked to see a more prickly dynamic between them. They seem to always try to glean Akko's attention, so I thought it'd make a bit of sense for that to boil over.**

 **Measured Kindness: Yes~ Akko makes Luna Nova go round' and round'. I appreciate the kind words, thank you. I hope I don't let that hype down :P**

 **Karamatsu girl: It was a working title at first, but my stupid ass couldn't come up with anything better. I figured I'd just roll with, lol.**

 **8ytan: Cheers for reviewing again, friend. Yah, from happy to what-the-eff just like that. You can chalk that up to my absolute lack of grace :)**

 **YaKuKu: Yup, a War for Love. The best kind. Thanks for sticking around!**

 **Jules51423: I'll do my best. It's tricky, but all the support helps more than you know, so thanks!**

 **Mxisb0128: Cheers, eh! I hope it'll be to your liking.**

 **Guest: Wow, thanks a lot! They always did seem a bit sour towards each other, so I thought it'd be fun to explore that a little further. Chariot needs centre stage for a change methinks!**

 **Little Harem Academia**

You, Me, Dancing!

From the moment between breakfast and first period, Luna Nova had fallen into a state of frenzied pandemonium. Still bewildered of what she'd just witnessed, Akko and her friends managed to spill out into the corridor outside Professor Chariots class and became immediately beset by an onrushing crowd of what seemed like every single student and patron of the school surging through the space in the direction of the courtyard in a tidal wave of excited chatter.

The crowd was so thick that it basically engulfed Akko from where she had stood in disbelief at the doorway of the class, snatching her away into the momentum of the tide but not before Lotte and Sucy clamped their hands tight around hers, huddling together as all three little witches went adrift as one into the maelstrom of their peers.

"Waaaaagh! This is crazy! I can't move!" Akko shrieked as her head began to dip downwards into the depths of rustling of Luna Nova Uniforms. She felt a strong tug on both her arms and with a whooping gasp of air Akko broke the surface once more to the concerned and desperate looks of her friends as they held fast against the tide. "Lotte, Sucy! Everyone's gone nuts!"

"Careful, Akko!" Lotte yelped as someone's elbow was creased into her right cheek. "We need to hold out until we break out into the courtyard! Don't let me go!"

Akko could barely hear her over the din of noise rupturing her eardrums, but managed a shaky nod as ten different pairs of feet trampled her own annoyingly. Meanwhile Sucy still held her hand tightly but seemed much more at ease at being squished the way they were, wearing a curled smile and a worryingly pleased expression of crooked delight at the proceedings.

"Ahhh~ I missed this. There's hardly room to breathe, heehee!"

"You're not helpiNMMRF!" Akko yelled out just as her face was buried into someone's back. The burly stopgap was actually unmoving against the onrushing tide, and when Akko managed to grimly push herself off of it, she let out a surprised gasp to see Jasminka turning to greet her with an invincible smile. The powerful girl had Amanda perched on her shoulders and Constanze sitting atop hers in turn, making the three look like a rather appropriate totem pole of witches. And through it all, Jasminka seemed to have no problem munching away on a bag of chips with her free hands.

"Hello~ Everyone seems hungry today…" She said without budging an inch as the stream of witches broke at her sides, allowing Akko and her friends a brief reprieve as they huddled in front of Jasminka.

"Sup, Reds! Ain't this a peach? You guys must've heard already, right?" Amanda shouted from on high with a quirky salute that a grinning Constanze mimicked with perfect timing. "News is spreading real fast, huh? W-woah!"

Amanda seemed to get a little too relaxed on her perch and leaned too far to her left, almost toppling her and Constanze to their doom if Jasminka hadn't quickly pushed her back to a more stable angle with a little jostle before immediately going back to eating her snacks.

"Ah, phew! You're a lifesaver, Jasna!"

Akko struggled for a clean breath with her two friends pushed so uncomfortably close their faces were starting to squish together. Sucy was still hissing in delight as Lotte's face burned a deep shade of red from the contact. For a girl like Lotte who found comfort in gentle peace, it was probably a harrowing experience for her, Akko figured with a pang of concern for her mousy friend.

With a shout of power known to her people, she mustered a burst of strength from nowhere and scooped Lotte off the floor and propped the girl up on her own much less formidable shoulders.

"Ora, ora, ORA!" Akko roared as she hoisted Lotte as far up as she could, effectively widening the gap at their feet to allow for a less claustrophobic space.

"Aiieee! A-Akko! You're…ahhhh…" Lotte blushed an even brighter shade of red if that was possible, but a small relieved smile formed on her grateful expression as she hugged the top of Akko's head to stabilise herself. "Thank you. I was getting a little flustered down there…"

"No problem!" Akko replied hotly, though her bravery seemed loose at best as she visibly shook from exertion and flared hot air from her nostrils. "Y-you're not…uuGGH…heavy at all!"

"I wanna ride too." Sucy added with a playful jeer. "Gimme a hand up there, Lotte."

"Sucy! I don't think Akko can-"

 _PHWAP!_

An airborne newspaper promptly pancaked into Lotte's face, tracing the contours of her glasses quite distinctly through it. After a little panicked flail of her hands, she yanked the offending article from her face with an exasperated intake of breath and paused to read the front page. As Akko struggled to hold her friend up, she was momentarily distracted from her rash decision by the hundreds of other newspapers fluttering about the room. Several witches jumped and hopped about, snatching them out of the air to excitedly read the headline whilst still moving through the congested corridor. Amanda managed to snag a copy and scanned her jade-green eyes over it with earnest as Constanze peered down from above her to do the same.

"Guys, look!'" Lotte yelled and hung the paper down in front of Akko's gaze for her to see. Sucy slunk her face right next to the brunette to read it with her.

"Huh. News by the minute. Wangari and her crew have really stepped up their game." The Mushroom Witch muttered laconically.

Akko's comment was much more frank.

"Whaaat!? Come on, it has to be a joke!"

The crowd finally started to thin around them, allowing the witches enough room to stand on their own feet. Lotte was quick to clamber off of Akko's shoulders and take her place on the opposite side that Sucy occupied so the three of them could read the paper.

The headline was bold and to the point, simply reading **DUEL!** Below it was a pair of photos of Diana and Chariot respectively, both of them taut in rigid battle poses with their wands held menacingly at each others throats with a huge lightning bolt striking down between them containing the word ' _versus'_ within its crackling peal. The sub header read: ' _A conflict fought for Love? Who will Miss Kagari choose? The winner may just steal her heart once and for all!'_

"Eeeeh?!" Akko shrieked in disbelief as she fully realised the shameful headline. How in the world had word of the supposed duel gotten out so fast? And what the heck was that about a battle of Love? There was no way that that was what it was all about! Akko was still only barely coming to terms with the _slight_ possibility that her beloved idol had feelings for her beyond their initial relation, but now gossip and media was literally flying about that Diana may have those kinds of feelings too? It was already too much for her aching scrambled brain to figure out. All Akko wanted to focus on right then was figuring out how to stop two of her closest friends from destroying each other. That and never trusting newspapers again!

"Wangari! Come on! That's not how it works!" Akko whined indignantly, scrunching the papers edges slightly in her trembling fists as a bright pink flush glowed on her cheeks. She then noticed a picture of herself near the bottom of the article, eliciting an annoyed wail from the brunette when she recognised it as the same photo they'd taken of her when she'd been part of the Fairies Union, namely the one where her hair and face had been singed to a crispy mess from an explosion moments before. "Don't they have _any_ other pictures of me?!"

Sucy snickered to herself when she noticed it too, with even Lotte unable to contain a whisper of a giggle herself.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Akko!" Lotte apologised quickly, patting the flustered girl on the back as her tone shifted to one of more pressing anxiousness. "Looks like it's really happening. I never thought either of them would want to fight like this…we need to do something, right?"

"As much as I would like to see a Witch Duel in my lifetime, this really isn't the time or place." Sucy added, looking to Akko with her one eye creased in concerned care for her friend. "Besides, I don't think Akko would want to see them hurt each other."

Amanda took the opportunity to jump into the conversation as she lazily threw the newspaper aside with an annoyed huff and put her hands to her hips.

"What a god damn pain in the ass. Ain't you the one who normally causes trouble, K? Who saw this coming? But I think you guys have the right idea, they're going to destroy the entire school if we don't do something!"

Constanze stepped in and stood next to Amanda, crossing her arms gruffly as she nodded with a stern spark in her eyes.

"What should we do, Akko?" The little German spoke up in a hushed tone yet confidant tone, garnering some surprised looks from Red Team.

Before Akko replied with a fiery shout she tore the newspaper in half and hurled both pieces to her sides.

"We're going over there and putting a stop to it, that's what! Nobody fights on my watch! Especially my _friends!_ I still don't understand what the hell is going on with them thinking their fighting over me, but NOBODY is going to win if this keeps up! I'm going to crash their party and nothing they say is going to stop me!"

The girls all looked to one another, sharing appreciative knowing glances before they all turned to Akko with determined smiles as they answered her call in excited unison.

"I'm with you, Akko!"

"What a bother. But it sounds like fun."

"Anything for you, K!"

"...Hm!"

Jasminka took a fervent bite out of a chip with a sharp nod as her acknowledgement.

With the corridor relatively clear around them, Akko pointed forward with a roaring battle cry and sprinted towards the cataclysmic event for the day, but before properly tearing away at full speed, she glanced back at her friends with a glowing cheeky smile.

"Let's go guys! And _thanks!"_

=][=

A lone girl stood perched on the very tip of one of the ledges of the New Moon Tower, her visual presence masked only marginally in case anyone happened to look in her general direction. The winds up high were cool and soft on that day as the sun shone bright on the entire sprawl of her beloved academy she had a perfect view for. The Philosopher's stone hummed quietly as it spun ceaselessly behind her; the priceless artefact brimming with power thanks to the reawakening of magic all through the world. Any other time such a surplus would've been seen as a total positive, but as Zero's sharp hearing picked up on the heavy beating of drums from far below, she quickly became wary of what kind of disaster that could befall.

Those drums…they were quickly paced and struck with frenzy, not at all sounding out of place on some ancient battlefield as warriors whipped themselves into a furore before riding out to meet their glorious doom. But this was an Academy for young Witches…what possible cause could there be for such foreboding music? After casting a rudimentary ocular spell, Zero glanced through a glowing green lens at the tip of her wand and scanned the area below where its seemed the commotion was strongest.

She could _feel_ the surge of power along with seeing it as her eyes fell upon the Academies' wide-open courtyard, where already she could see a stream of what looked to be every single patron of the school save herself pouring into the grassy space and forming a wide ring of excited and anxious faces all looking inwards to the middle. Some of them waved their arms about and jumped around as they shouted something she could not hear. In the perfect centre of that chaos she spotted them; two Witches everyone knew very well, Ursula Callistis and Diana Cavendish.

A little gasp rushed from her lips when the raw edge of their power emanating from them crossed the great distance of the courtyard to the tower like it was nothing but a pace. She felt their strength and magic prowess as a gust of rending wind that nearly toppled her from her precarious position, but another force steadied her footing, a power much more glacial and subtle yet no less intimidating.

Friend joined Zero's side as an unassuming glittering butterfly, shining even in the piercing glow of the stone nearby.

 _That power is a sight to behold, is it not? I doubt they could call upon that strength without such reckless emotion. Love truly can be a destructive force._

"What in the world is happening down there?" Zero asked the obvious question as the steady thumping of those war drums ringing out seemed to quicken in pace.

 _Diana and Chariot are going to settle a dispute in the ways of Old. A Duel, of course. I sense powerful…no…overwhelming emotion rippling through their souls. It's enhancing their magic to a sublime height. Oh my…_

Zero took affront to the misplaced lackadaisical amusement in Friend's words. If what she was saying was true, then everyone in Luna Nova was in danger! How could she be so casual about that? And she'd also mentioned the word Love…was that why those two were…?

"They're fighting over her, aren't they?" She murmured as the tense atmosphere from the coming battle seemed to reach her in the form of an uncomfortable shudder sliding down her back. The Stone's light was actually radiating stronger every moment, drawing upon the wordless call to power to such a degree it simmered the air in an unnatural distressing heat around the rapidly increasing twirl of its form. "They're fighting for Atsuko Kagari…"

 _Yes, isn't it wonderful?_

Zero winced at the flippant remark and disabled her cloaking spell with a furious flick of her wand, almost letting it slip from her hand as she did so. But she wouldn't have cared, her anger had risen to a boil she felt outpaced the flowing power of the Stone. With fire in her heart and stinging pang of distress in her gut for her classmates, she shouted back shrilly at Friend without holding back.

"How can you say that! What good will something like this do for anyone! Don't you care that they could get hurt?! Don't you care that Akko could be caught in all that?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Zero's anger and distress flared stronger, and unlike the days previous, it seemed as if Friend was unable or unwilling to simply force her to do her bidding. She felt a comforting light burning in the core of her heart, like a golden aura breathing through her soul. It had started the night before, when she'd found herself having snuck into the infirmary where Atsuko had been fast asleep. A powerful spell borne of a desire to protect had repelled Zero from the girl, but somehow she could feel that that protective barrier had in some way gleaned onto herself as well; that it was shielding her from Friends' influence. Whereas before Zero had been completely under the thumb of Friend's will, now it was more like they existed as parallel forces. Strangely though, she could still not recall her own name…nor Friend's.

Regardless of Zero regaining her being, it didn't seem to upset nor disturb the voice rattling about like ugly bats in her mind.

 _There is much wrong with me, Zero. I will not deny that. But I cannot fight against this desire. Just as you cannot._

Zero's anger subsided at those words, replaced by a cold realisation. A different, more primal power twisted her thoughts. Where had it come from? Whatever it was, she quickly found her psyche swamped with images of Atsuko Kagari; that impossible girl who probably did not know she even existed, nor how strong the emotions she felt for her were. Her common sense became clouded by that senseless passion for someone she barely knew, yet loved like none other.

Another gust of wind flowed about her, kissing her cheeks coldly. Zero shivered a little and reached into her pocket, fishing out that potion that she thought had been lost the night before.

 _I retrieved it for you. That small one knew not what she briefly possessed._

"You still haven't told me what this is." Zero snapped at the voice as she held the glass aloft to reflect the light of the morning sun. She idly thought of how refreshing it was to be able to speak her mind to Friend. But at the same time she felt her hope slip away that regaining her senses would be enough to make her disappear from her life. Friend wasn't going away, but that didn't mean she would stop trying to figure out what that malicious voice had in store of Akko. She claimed to love Akko, just as Zero did. But that was no reason to trust her. 'You tried to have Akko drink it by my hand. Tell me why!'

 _You may have control of your will, Zero. But you do not control mine._

"Maybe so! But what if I showed this little potion to Professor Lukic so I can find out myself!" Zero shot back, pleased at the logical course of action she'd just thought of. That moment of confidence vanished when Friend replied, her words sullied by a grim darkness that snaked like black tendrils crawling all down Zero's back, forcing a frightened whimper from her lips at the horrid sensation.

 _ **LUKIC WILL DISAPPEAR. AS WILL YOU.**_

Zero shuddered and gripped herself tight as the words from Friend felt as it chilled her blood for a terrifying second, but the feeling quickly passed in a moment of blessed reprieve. Even so, Zero's knees grew weak and clamped together as she slid ungracefully to the dusty floor of the tower, still trembling. Just like that Friend had obliterated her confidence. Despite herself, Zero longed for the time where she'd simply been controlled by the voice. Anything was better than that brief terror of Friends' anger.

 _Now then…whilst everyone is distracted down there, we have some work that needs doing._

Zero shakily got to her feet and wiped away a few loose tears stinging her eyes.

"Yes…" She answered weakly, but in spite of her fear she managed the gall to ask Friend one more thing. "Just who the heck are you?"

The response took the shape of soothing words whispered in the wind right into Zero's ear.

"An Immortal in Love."

=][=

Chariot could distinctly remember the first time she'd ever been in a real fight. She'd been only sixteen years old, and in her first term at Luna Nova when a cocky and spiteful girl by the name of Miria had taken it upon herself to berate Chariot's dear friend Croix by calling her a certain selection of words which she did not want to repeat. Long story short, Chariot had challenged the girl to a Witch Duel, but Miria had simply laughed in her face and used the dreaded C-word, spitting in her face right after. What should've been a display of magical battle instead became a rotten spectacle of cursing, punching, and a well placed head-butt from Chariot that had broken the other girls nose quite badly.

But it was what had taken place _after_ the scuffle that Chariot truly regretted. After only a few short days at her beloved school of magic she found herself on the cusp of being expelled completely, and earned the ire of a few stout teachers and some hateful gossip from some of the nastier students who Miria had befriended. What she remembered most of all out of that awful situation caused by her lack of patience and restraint, was the pitiful sideways stare from Croix herself that had reduced Chariot to a mess of apologies and breathless tears.

' _You really made a mess of yourself, didn't you? When you fight without thinking, you really only hurt the ones you're trying to protect.'_

Chariot recalled that stern lecture word-for-word, taking Croix's wise teachings to heart like ancient gospel. She truly hadn't thought things through, and in wanting to defend her friend's honour, had only succeeded in sullying her own and disappointing Croix in turn. In the end, it had been nothing but dumb luck and Luna Nova's dwindling student population that had saved her from being kicked out. It was one of her many dreaded mistakes.

And yet…there she was again. Standing firm and defiant in the same place she had scrapped with Miria so many years ago. Diana was her opponent this time, and the audience surrounding the two of them in the courtyard was so thick she could not see the walls of the school beyond their packed uniforms and shouting faces.

Diana was only a few paces ahead of her, arms crossed tightly to her chest with her wand poking out from the crux of her right elbow. Those eyes so known for their blue warmth were of ice; biting and unforgiving, and yet blazed with a fire of confidence that reminded her of Croix cooly taking the brunt of Miria's insults without a flinch.

"By the ancient rites of the Duels of Old whomever takes the wand of the other is the winner. Now, a barrier, ready?" Diana said quickly, not bothering or caring to elaborate. Chariot was a little confused for a moment and struggled not to show it, but she quickly understood what the girl was trying to say. With a stern nod, Chariot raised her wand high as Diana mirrored the movement just before the two of them shouted a spell in unison, cracking through the chattering and hollers of the crowd like thunder in the rain.

"LUX VENATUS!"

Twin spears of blue light lanced from the tips of their wands and connected in the air in a perfect arc before the conjoined bursts of magic wrapped in on itself and fanned outwards in a wide translucent sphere, like a thick water shimmering in the light of the sun. The crowds gasped and fell back slightly as the sphere lowered to the earth and hit the ground with a deep thrum that shook the walls. The spectacle quietened the crowd for a brief moment as they cautiously stepped towards the glassy barrier, peering into it to see Diana and Chariot still facing each other from within it. The walls reflected slight rainbows from the light, but was almost completely clear otherwise. From within that magic sanctuary, the two Witches at odds stood so tensely before each other they could sense the slight movements of the grass beneath their feet as all manner of tiny insects scurried about their business oblivious to what was about to happen.

"It is funny, isn't it Professor? What kind of Witches we become in times like this. One moment everything is calm and proper, and the next, we find ourselves ready for battle. Ready to fight for what we believe in."

Chariot didn't understand what Diana was saying. In a way the girl seemed to be playing to the stereotype one would have after an initial glance of her; that of the haughty princess who was used to getting her way, and was more than willing to lash out at those who stood in her path.

"Just what do you believe, Diana?" Chariot challenged her, stoking her confidence as best she could, but found it nearly impossible to do so. Croix's words still replayed in her thoughts again and again, ripping out and parading her past mistakes before her like a pitiful dancing marionette of herself. In truth she did not want to fight, did not want to repeat those mistakes. That white-hot anger that had fuelled her had long since run dry, leaving nothing but tentative regret. Why had she challenged her to a Duel? What good would come of it? Chariot felt she had simply lost herself in Akko's presence in class, unable to look past the whirling meteor that was Diana Cavendish hurtling towards her precious star pupil. How shameful of her…it really was just like back then…why couldn't she control herself? It'd never been so difficult before…

"What I believe?" Diana scoffed, taking a slinking step towards Chariot, never once breaking chilling eye contact. "I believe that your conduct is utterly un-befitting of a Professor at this school. That your shameful and precocious advances towards Atsuko Kagari are nothing but the testy whims of a woman who seeks to take advantage of a starry-eyed fan who knows no better. That's what I think, _Chariot."_

A brief tinge of her quelled anger flared back in Chariot's heart at that sentence. Diana, how dare she make her feelings to be something so base and vile! She had no such intentions to force Akko into anything she wasn't comfortable with. Yes, she understood their difference in age was a matter that could not be ignored…but even so… _even so!_

"You don't understand me at all, do you?" Chariot fired back angrily, taking a step of her own towards Diana so that their glaring eyes were only inches apart. "Akko is-she's the only one who continued to believe in me! Even when I was still performing, everyone was ready to throw me under the rug like unwanted dust! Like _nothing!_ Ten years go by and she speaks my name to everyone she meets, singing me praises I did not deserve, that I could never aspire to! Don't you **dare** call my love for that precious girl a whim!"

There, a slight flutter in Diana's lashes. A remembrance? Perhaps it was doubt. Her expression softened only a fraction, but then hardened once again as the girl replied in a low, dangerous voice.

"Akko is my light, Chariot. Her smile warms me like a childhood I could not remember until I met her. I will not let anyone take that smile for their own. Even you."

Chariot grit her teeth at the impassable determination in Diana's words. She fully realised then that their differences could not be settled solely with words.

"Then I'm sorry, Diana. I'm sorry my love for her angers you so. Ten paces."

"Ten paces." Diana repeated, swishing her wand in a downwards arc that stopped at her waist, its tip already crackling with diffusions of magic. The two Witches didn't spare a blink as they turned around as one so their backs were to each other. Then, they began their pace.

Chariot counted her steps carefully, each rising digit gnawing away at her confidence. This wasn't how she wanted to handle things. Akko wouldn't stand for it. Perhaps there was still time to talk-

Ten steps. She hesitated for a second and instantly felt an intense surge of heat singe the fine hairs on the back of her neck. Chariot coiled her body as low as she could just as as beam of blue light skimmed the top of her head and slammed into the barrier in front of her, diffusing its power in a wide web that shot outwards inside the sphere. The crowd on the other side instinctively reeled back in shock from the impact, some even toppling over and being caught in the arms of their stunned friends.

Chariot finally whirled around, spotting Diana at the far end with her lips still parted from the spell she'd almost nailed her with. She had a surprised, almost apologetic look on her face, perhaps taken aback that her opponent hadn't turned about to face her when she'd fired off that spell.

Regardless, Chariot wasn't about to hesitate again. With a pained shout of indignation she thrust her wand at Diana and cast her bitter retaliation.

"Belga Veeda!"

Chariot had to grip her wand in both hands as her own beam of brilliant green speared out from the tip and forcibly dug her heels into the dirt with its strength. The attack took all of half a second to reach Diana, but the heiress suddenly disappeared from view as a huge torrent of water burst from the ground around her to form a rushing cascading wall of blue that covered the entire breadth of the barrier on her side. Chariots beam sunk into the watery abyss, seeming to punch through and hit the wall behind it with a deep booming shake that she felt in her bones. She hadn't meant the spell to be so powerful, but her emotions were still going haywire, and it was enhancing her magic to a point she could barely control. For a moment she feared she had connected with such attack, and feared what it could do to a Witch even as powerful as Diana.

Those concerns vanished in an instant as a barrage of similar beams lanced out of the water in a frenzied pattern right towards her. Chariot yelped in surprise and leapt into the sky as the spears of magic spiked the spot she been a mere half-second ago, adding in a deft twirl as one of the beams passed so close to her chest she had to suck in a deep breath to allow it to barely cleave past. She hadn't even managed an exhale from that as another fusillade of Murowa casts shot out from the wall of water in a follow up barrage, catching Chariot before she'd started her descent from the previous jump.

"Fine, Diana! Try THIS!" She shouted and erected a personal sphere barrier around herself just in time for the destructive spells to ricochet off its glassy surface. The beams were so numerous that a few actually punched through the shield and glanced dangerously close to her body, with one stray shot even pinging off one of the lenses of Chariots glasses; singing its surface into a scratched, burnt mess.

With a wild, primal shout Chariot blasted her barrier outwards, reflecting the last of the beams away in random directions. She hit the ground feet first, kicking up a cloud of dust with the impact and quickly roared out her own spell from a coiled crouch.

"Glacies Intermissum!"

In a near instant the wall of water Diana had conjured seized into a huge block of glinting ice. A beat passed as the icy structure stood frozen, until another hurtling wave of Chariots wand caused the entire thing to sprout webs of cracks over the entirety of its surface before it promptly exploded into a galaxy of shining shards that shone against the light like broken stars.

The crowd erupted in a wondrous awe of collective applause and gasping at such a sight, which somehow seemed to reach an even more excited pitch as Diana blasted through the glittering light riding a summoned Unicorn as it gracefully leapt through the air, its horn glowing as bright as a true star. Chariot was momentarily distracted by the dazzling sight of an ancient summoned beast launching itself through the shattered light of exploding ice that she reacted a second too slow as it the beast bore down on her from above with terrifying speed.

Chariot lifted her wand and cast a spell on total reflex just as Diana zipped by atop her steed and fiercely swung a sword of blue light at her forehead with a wild shout.

Her own sword of crimson shot out from her wand and parried the strike on sheer luck, kicking up a brief and angry snap of crackling magic energy as the two blades shredded against one another. Diana surged past with her cavalry charge, using the momentum of the beast to shove against Chariot's standing guard position, throwing the Professor violently off her feet and sending her spinning through the air.

"Uwaah!" Chariot yelled in panic as her vision became a sudden dizzying blur, but her acrobatic instincts kicked in just in time for her to find shaky purchase on the grass with aching feet. Her arms shook in pain too from blocking such an attack, instincts screaming at her that another such attempt to do so would fling her wand from her hands and effectively cost her that fight.

Chariot had barely registered her balance when Diana galloped in from just out of the corners of her vision, her shining blue sword already aloft for another strike.

"Submit, Chariot! Akko is _**mine!"**_

The unicorn was unnaturally fast, its gallop crossing far more distance than the laws of physics would allow. Already it was too close, the sheen of Diana's glowing blade glaring through even the ruined lens of Chariot's damaged glasses. There was no time to duck or roll away! Instead she shouted another spell and coiled her legs downward.

"Vega Varulus!"

Without even waiting to feel the spell kick in, Chariot pushed off the ground and sailed high into the air, somersaulting herself over Diana as the blonde Witch tracked the sudden movement as she zoomed by.

"You won't get away!" Diana yelled and switched out her sword back to its wand form, quickly poising it to shoot Chariot out of the sky as she arced her Unicorns charge into a tight skidding turn to meet her opponent. "Murowa!"

She fired off another barrage of the destructive spell but gasped in shock as her attacks disappeared into a sea of summoned magical critters awash in several shades of brilliant light. Centaurs, birds, little dragons, flying fish with spread wings…they spread out all through the sky within their great barrier. Diana could recall such a spectacle very well, and just like back then, found herself staring transfixed with her mouth agape. It was…

"Metamorphie Vestesse!"

Another, brighter sphere of light coalesced amongst the clouds of fluttering creatures as it fell to earth, blasting apart just as it hit the ground, garnering collective cries of surprise and delight from the crowds watching, including a nervous little yelp from Diana herself.

That blinding light that had hit the earth like a meteor subsided, revealing Shiny Chariot in all her splendour. Only… _bolder;_ the impressive risque angles of that signature outfit drawing all eyes to her wondrou _s_ figure _._ The woman flourished her wand with a series of deft baton twirls as she herself spun on the tip of her blue boots in a graceful pirouette that ended just as she pointed her wand at Diana's stunned, blushing face.

"Get ready to enter a world of magic, Diana!"

The crowds erupted in thunderous applause at that, just as a gaggle of six less enthusiastic Witches grimly pushed their way through the clapping and cheering. One in particular pressed her face flat against the barrier, squishing her features into ghastly shapes.

"Crap! They've already started!" Akko shouted, her cry drowned out by another collective roar of approval from the frenzied crowd as the fight surged into its second act.

=][=

 **Sorry to end it here, guys. I've got the next bit on the way so it (hopefully) shouldn't take long. I've been swamped recently with events in my life so I wanted to put out what I had while I still had time. As always, thanks for reading, and please leave a review if you have a minute to spare! Later, my friends!**

 **-Queen**


	10. Duelling and Drilling

**Another day another chapter. This thing is way longer than I thought it would get! I'll do my best to try and finish it, I've got a bad habit of not seeing things through, but it's one of the main things I've been trying to improve on as a writer. Now let's go for a ride my friends! This cracktastic romance action nonsense sallies forth! Also, for anyone reading this, would anyone be interested in reading a romance fic with Chariot and Akko as its centre? In terms of fanfics, the idea isn't too out there, and there aren't any fics out there that explore that to my knowledge. Could be fun, and a little scandalous…!**

 **Side note: You know that feeling you get when you finish watching a great anime…that melancholic tug of sadness…man I hate that. Part of the reason I write fanfics is to somehow keep the spirit of a show like this alive in my own little way through the imagination of fiction. I'm sure a lot of you feel the same way with your respective works. But! There's still Chamber of Time on the way! Soo many games coming out that just don't interest me at all, but that'll be the first one I get day one for sure! I need my Little Witch Fix.**

 **Now for the replies from my dear readers & reviewers. Thanks so much you guys, your kind words and support gives me a dizzying high like no other. **

**Kid face1028: Hello again. Well, Zero is supposed to be this mystery girl who may or may not be completely crazy. The reveal will be underwhelming! Trust me ;)**

 **Your Intellegence: Thanks so much for your input again, friend. I always take your critiques to heart to better my writing. Yes, some of Chariots lines are a little 'off' but I think that was intentional (at least that's what I tell myself to sleep at night.)**

 **The Swordslinger: Dream weddings? Uh huh, that would be pretty cool to write. I got to up the fluff somehow, I'll try and fit that in if I can. Cheers!**

 **Jules12345: Haha, thanks a bunch! Tell you the truth it wasn't the car ride that made me sick, but the onset of a nasty flu I caught before hand. It suuucked so bloody much. Anyways, yes I'll be sure to add in some fluffy dreams courtesy of our warring ladies. I got some coy ideas for that for laters.**

 **Measured Kindness: Lol! Oh you don't have to apologise at all. I did the same thing on a few occasions. Mindfull is heaps of fun, I highly recommend it to everyone. Also, give Lucky Sharms a go too, it's unique and excellently written.**

 **Psykoakuma: Yeah! Thanks so much! And hey, you're very perceptive I gotta say. Those two could've been OC's, but it's more fun to mess with those girls in the background who don't get to do much. Also, yes Team Diana is easy to root for. Her and Chariot will get another chance to steal that yay before long.**

 **Oscar: Thanks for reading and reviewing, friend. Diana is great and all, but I really am trying to keep that harem dynamic in play as much as I can. There's some things I'm going to try, and hopefully it'll be to everyone's liking.**

 **DuwangChew: Hey there! Thanks again for reading my work. I'm happy you enjoyed that action scene. I find them really fun to write. There's no need to hold back the ridiculousness when Magic is involved in a fight. No restrictions!**

 **Allrighty then, let's go!**

 **Little Harem Academia**

 _Duelling and Drilling_

A part of Akko had held out a naive hope that Diana and Chariot would come to their senses and talk things through instead of throwing themselves into a magical maelstrom of battle against each other with the sole purpose of somehow "winning" her favour. She saw a rose-tinted recollection of all the times she'd shared kind smiles, laughter, and even warm welcoming hugs with those two. All their conversations, meaningfully guiding or pointlessly beautiful. Exciting moments of rescue, thrilling knife-edge adventures that had intertwined their emotions closer than ever before…

Those two meant so much to her. As dear friends. As mentors. People she looked up to as paragons of all the virtues that combined created the perfect Witch she still dreamed and aspired to be!

Which was why, when it finally dawned on her as she watched stiff and baffled through a clear protective shield of energy at those two people she admired so much trying to blow the other up, Akko's determination flared into a raging inferno fuelled by a sense of both desperation and betrayal.

They were really fighting. The spells shot from their wands were not being held back, nor were they the kind someone would use without the intent of humbling an enemy with hateful pain. Akko pursed her lips tight as her teeth grit down painfully under them at the sight of Diana firing off salvo after salvo of that Murowa spell at her cherished idol with the same cold detachment the heiress would confer as if she was pouring a cup of tea. Akko grimly remembered how much it had stung being hit by that spell only once by accident, but the ones Diana was shooting out with reckless abandon seemed four times the size! Akko tentatively reassured herself that a Witch Duel probably wasn't to the death, but it didn't seem either of the combatants had gotten that memo. Diana Cavendish was clearly trying to blow Chariots head off, or at the very least set her on fire.

That was not Affection! That was not Diana! Chariot too was not innocent in the eyes of Akko's wrathful gaze of judgement. Especially when the lithe woman catapulted off the barrier wall after a gravity-defying sprint and lashed out a vicious showtime kick right into the face of the Unicorn Diana had been riding atop of. The creature's eyes bugged out as Chariots heeled boot dug into its maw as time seemed to slow to emphasise the ludicrous impact. The crowd gasped in a symphony of shocked outbursts, punctuated by Amanda loudly declaring: 'What the fuck?!' just as the kick went through and promptly caused the summoned beast to burst into a torrent of showering water, leaving Diana to sail through the air and land unceremoniously with her butt on the grass against the wall of the barrier.

Akko could not hear what Diana was shouting over the roar of the crazed audience as the frost-blonde Witch roughly picked herself up from the knock-down, but the sheer burning malice in her eyes told the brunette all she needed to know about what those words could have been. The expression looked so…ugly coming from the girl who barely half a day ago had smiled so sweetly to comfort a tearful Akko in a gentle time of need. Now Diana was throwing herself at Chariot with wild, savage swings of her wand, loosing out spell after hateful spell with accompanying snarls snaking across her once noble features. Chariot met those attacks with dance, twirling and spinning and even back-flipping around the beams with a practised ease that seemed to infuriate Diana further. Shiny Chariot would use every opportunity between Diana's frenzied attacks to pose and wave at the crowd, her chipper, exuberant smiles and flirtatious flourishes of her blue-skirted hips echoing her experience in similar feats of performance. Several delighted whooping cheers rang out from the Witches enjoying the show, with some close to Akko visibly swooning into a lovestruck mania as they slapped their hands to their faces to hide their brightly burning blushing, all the while hopping on their tiptoes like a pack of excited puppies.

"Looks like Shiny Chariot is getting a lot of new fans today." Sucy murmured with an annoyed twitch in her eye as a starstruck boisterous redhead kept shoving obliviously into her right shoulder with annoying frequency. "This is why I don't like live shows."

"Look at Ursula dancing about in there…girl's got moves, let me tell ya! Yowza, look at those curves!" Amanda added with an amused, wolfish sneer as Constanze peered at the ensuing battle through a pair of binoculars as she sat easily on her friends shoulders again; the slightest trickle of drool dripping from a little gape in her mouth. "You enjoying the show up there, Cons?" Amanda leaned her head back a little to glance at her passenger and noted something as a coy smirk and raised eyebrow sparked on her mischievous face. "Hey-yo! Try closing your mouth, Cons! This ain't _that_ kind of show!"

Constanze responded with a little bop of her fist atop Amanda's head, but didn't glance away from her binoculars for a moment.

"Yeowch! Hey!" Amanda snickered, enjoying herself a little too much in spite of the situation. Akko's reprimand was to glare at Amanda with puffed cheeks as she pointed to the show behind the barrier with both hands.

"C'mon! We didn't come here to enjoy this nonsense! We've gotta put a stop to this!"

Amanda nodded, narrowing her eyes seriously as she tore her gaze away from the spectacle. Constanze followed suit and lowered her binoculars to look at her apologetically with a tiny puff of her own minuscule cheeks.

"Akko's right! We've got to think of something to break up this fight! Someone's definitely going to get hurt if this keeps up!" Lotte spoke up heatedly, her demeanour taking a rather surprising resolute air. Akko blinked at the fire in her words, welling a fortified comfort in her heart that her dear friend might have felt just as strongly as she did in wanting to end that chaotic madness. Lotte was always such a sweet girl, so it made a lot of sense to Akko that she would be against such displays of violence.

"Anyone got any ideas?" Sucy piped up as she ushered the group to huddle a little closer so they could speak clearer through the din of all the yelling. "Better make it fast or I'm going to melt that girl who keeps bumping into me straight into the ground."

"H-hold that thought, Sucy! I'm sure Akko's got a plan, right?" Lotte pressed earnestly, giving a hopeful smile to Akko as the five Witches looked to the Japanese girl in anticipation.

"Hm! Hm!" Akko nodded twice in quick succession with her crossed arms tightly wound in confidant posture. Truth was she had absolutely no clue how to get past the barrier, and every second that ticked by caused another worrying explosion or bone-shattering impact to rip out from within the sphere of energy, provoking ever louder cheers for blood from the Witches gathered. The aspiring looks from her friends fell slowly into awkward trepidation as Akko started to sweat profusely under their scrutiny. She had to say something! Had to try anything!

"We…we need to get past this barrier first!" She stumbled for words, forcing a shaky bravado as she spoke, turning back to glare at the barrier with the naive wish that perhaps her frustrated stare would be enough to shatter it. "There has to be a way to break it! Maybe if we combine our magic together we can shoot through it or something?"

Sucy shook her head. "With this many people around, I wouldn't try that. They're packed like sardines around the thing. And if a shot bounces off, it could be real bad news. Though on the plus side it would make a lot more room."

"Ugh…you're right…" Akko relented, shoulders sinking as her one and only flimsy plan was shot down in seconds.

"I don't think we'd be strong enough to break it, Akko." Lotte said shyly, adding a gentle pat to Akko's back when the brunette's face sank into an over-dramatic moping, blubbering mess. "N-now, now…! I'm just saying with the power of the spells they're using in there, we'd need something more than just a combined spell from us to get through."

"Maybe they'll get hungry soon?" Jasminka added with an innocent tilt of her head. Amanda twiddled her finger at her team-mate with a brisk shake of her head, with Constanze copying the movements with cute enthusiasm from her comfy perch atop the American's stout shoulders.

"Don't think that'll work this time, Jasna. Sorry." The redhead shot her down, but her kept her tone even so as not to appear too admonishing. Jasminka understood and nodded apologetically with a slight hunch of her broad frame. Amanda turned back to address the group, throwing up a clenched fist as she shouted: "C'mon guys! We can think of something better than all this, can't we?"

An uncomfortable silence followed, made all the worse as yet another massive explosion shook the ground at their feet from the fight, causing the wordless Witches to flinch nervously as the spectators surrounding them cried out in excited joy.

"Gah! I can't believe they're all just sitting around watching this happen!" Akko shouted angrily at the crowds with a little stamp of her feet. "It has to be that weird thing going around making them crazy! This isn't how Witches are supposed to act!"

"Damn right. I love a good fight but not when it means someone might be blown to pieces in front of everyone, besides-huh?" Amanda spoke up in agreement but was interrupted by Constanze leaning down a bit and whispering something into her ear. The American smirked at whatever it was Constanze had said shortly after. "Right. You got it, Cons."

Amanda took a brief knee to allow Constanze to clamber off, after which the small girl removed her trademark gloves and scurried over to take hold of Akko's hands, cupping them together in front of her blushing face as her teal eyes gazed unblinking up at the startled Japanese girl.

"Eh? W-what's this? You ok, Constanze?" Akko asked as she slightly reeled from the surprise contact, but held a nervous smile towards the girl. Their friends were staring at the curious development with mouths gaping in anxious surprise, aside from Sucy who simply narrowed her one visible eye to a leering slit.

"I need you." Constanze said suddenly, keeping firm hold of Akko's hands and staring right into the brunettes eyes with a firm confidence utterly unlike her, especially so considering the girl hardly talked.

"Need me? Huh? W-what for…?" Akko stammered her reply as the soft contact from Constanze's surprisingly warm grip sent a nervous heat up her arms and onto the back of her flushing neck.

"We need to drill." Constanze followed just as Amanda erupted in a delirious, piercing yell from behind her, throwing up her hands for emphasis. Akko only tilted her head, not understanding what was happening at all in that exchange. Sucy hissed out a scattering snicker as Lotte simply gaped her mouth open and petered out a single dragging noise that Akko likened to a balloon slowly loosing its shrill air into the wind.

"WOAH! Too fast, Cons!" Amanda shouted, sporting a crimson flush of her own that matched her fiery, unruly mane.

Constanze seemed to follow what it was her friend was trying to tell her, and immediately ripped her hands away from Akko like she'd just caught aflame; planting her palms instead to hide her face as she shook her head furiously, making her pink bow flutter about with the rapid motion. She then whipped out a notepad and pen tied to her green sash and started scribbling onto it so quickly her hands became a whizzing blur. Three seconds later a still furiously blushing Constanze flipped her writings about for Akko to see.

"Huh?" Akko poked her head lower to the German's height to get a better look at the page. She'd drawn a diagram of the big barrier with cutesy frowning stick figure versions of Diana and Chariot tussling from within it. What caught Akko's attention and made her eyes light up in excited realisation were the several bold arrows pointing to the very top of the sphere with the words ' **Weakness: Drill.'** marked all over them. Akko loosed a delighted laugh when she understood what Constanze was getting at. In lieu of having no clue what else to do, it was a terrific idea. Plus, Akko had been itching for another chance to pilot that thing again. Lotte and Sucy had always logically but politely curbed her enthusiasm onto something else any time she'd brought it up, noting that Akko was enough of a force of destruction without the need of a giant robot. None of Akko's childish pleading had helped back then, but right there and then was as good a time as any to give it a shot.

"Of course! We can attack the giant enemy shields weak point for massive damage!" Akko shouted, clapping her hands together. "You really have **that** ready to go, Constanze?"

The small German girl scribbled her response on a fresh sheet, her flush embarrassment most likely stamping out her nerve to speak out loud in that moment.

 _I know you've been wanting to pilot again. I kept it combat ready just in case. Also, your memes are outdated by several years._

Akko giggled in joy at that and leapt at Constanze before snagging the little girl into a spinning, laughing hug. Constanze went stark white in Akko's embrace, looking mere nano-seconds away from passing out before the brunette set her down on her own feet before that came to pass.

"Yeah! You're the greatest, Constanze! Let's get to it right away! But first-!" Akko swung her gaze across the rest her group who looked to her expectantly. "Amanda! Jasminka! I need you guys to try and find the other Professors! They have to be around here! Let them know what we're going to do, and if you can, try to make em get everyone away from here just in case! Lotte, Sucy, you two please help them any way you can!"

"Woah, woah, woah! Slow down a little. What exactly are you going to do?" Amanda asked exasperated.

"They're going to use that big dumb robot again, that's what." Sucy muttered distastefully, answering in Akko's stead.

"Ugh, really? Well one stupid plan is better than nothin at all. Let's go, Jasna! I need you to clear a path!"

The Russian Master of Delicacies emitted a high-pitched yelp of power as her burly body inflated outwards with an accompanying flash of twinkling green light, effectively doubling both her height and width.

"Holy…!" Akko had not expected that as she gaped upwards at super-Jasna already roving through the crowd of Witches who all sported similar looks of shock when they saw her and quickly parted out of her path as Amanda, Sucy and Lotte took their place behind their friendly walking barricade. They gave a collection of encouraging waves to Akko and Constanze as they started to move away into the breach.

"Good lucks guys! Break that thing and put a stop to this lovers spat! Tell em to just kiss already!" Amanda joked, her foxy grin already obscured by the rims of several Witch hats converging around her form.

"Be careful in there!" Akko yelled out to them as they disappeared amongst a sea of navy-blue Nova uniforms, well except for Jasminka who she could still spot quite easily, unless there was some other student Akko didn't know about who was three times bigger than everyone else. Akko then felt a small and firm hand grip hers tightly, prompting her to turn about to see one of Constanze's rare unguarded smiles beaming up at her, the teal-green of her eyes reflecting an explosion of neon-rainbows form the barrier at Akko's back.

"I…need you." She repeated in a quiet, soft tone, but then followed with a much sharper inflection with a determined crease of her thick eyebrows. Akko remembered that look, it meant it was time to blow something up! "I can't pilot it by myself."

"Yeah! I'm with you, Cons! Lead the way!" Akko responded with her most winning smile, planting her other hand over Constanze's own, making the petite German jump as another pink flush dusted her bantam, pale cheeks. "The two of us and a giant robot, there's nothing we can't do!"

Constanze composed herself with a sharp intake of breath, then resumed her own smile before yanking Akko away into the screaming crowds.

=][=

"Hey Lotte, what's a meme?" Sucy asked her ginger-haired friend and partner in crime as they moved in step behind Jasminka and Amanda, the latter rudely but befittingly roaring out that everyone should get the hell out of the way. Lotte cocked her head at the innocuous question, wondering for a moment why the Mushroom Witch would ask something like that, but she figured not many girls at the Academy in general were familiar with the internet, let alone something as meta as memes.

"Well…" Lotte paused as she realised it would be tricky to explain such a thing to someone who knew little or nothing of the medium they'd spawned from, but her eyes quickly lit up when she figured out an appropriate response for her friend. "I guess you could say it's just another form of poison…only, y'know, from the internet!"

"Hmm." Sucy mulled the answer over carefully, smirking ruefully as she did so. "Somehow I don't like the sound of that."

Lotte burst out in a fit of giggles at that, infecting Sucy to do the same, albeit in her unorthodox, hissing cackle.

=][=

"WAAAAAH!" Akko shrieked as she hung on for dear life to Constanze's warm hand as the two of them rocketed through one of the many tunnels beneath Luna Nova. Before the fun little ride, Constanze had led Akko to yet another hidden passage hidden within the base of one of the pillars of the Academy lining the courtyard. The mine-cart's wheels rattled so roughly on the tracks that the brunette expected every sharp turn to send them both careening spectacularly into a wall. Constanze stood unmoving throughout the whole trip, never letting go of Akko's hand, occasionally glancing at her with that same sweet smile of hers that just for a moment, would appease the Japanese girls' wailing fear.

Finally, mercifully, the ride came to end after one last arcing launch over a black chasm in the cart as the tracks beneath it turned from a gnarled mess of rails into absolutely nothing.

"Donkey…KONGGG!" Akko blurted out in a delirium as they soared over the gap and landed with a heart-stopping lurch on another set of rails that had spurted from the blackness at the far end just in the nick of time. One last burst of speed and the cart shot through a yawning doorway into a familiar hanger dotted with blinding spotlights all along its wide ceiling.

Before Akko could make any further references, the mine cart that had surged along on a set of rails far above the hanger suddenly did a 180 lateral spin and put the two Witches upside down.

"Eh?" Akko piped as she hung there for a second before gravity took hold and sent her plunging downwards again with her trademark scream ringing out throughout the room. "YAAAAH!"

The sensation of falling was brief, Akko's piercing yelp catching in her throat as something soft and moving cushioned her back, leaving her staring up at the lights of the hangar with a series of puzzled blinks. She heard a staccato of chirping robotic voices all around her as Akko sat herself up, or rather was pulled into a sitting position with a gentle tug of her hands still somehow coiled around Constanze's. The little German girl still held that same precious smile, the warmth from her hand glowing along with it.

" _It's Akko. Akko, Akko, Akko!"_

" _She's back! Back!"_

" _Akko is here. Akko is here!"_

Akko looked about herself and noticed a wide blue safety mattress had broken her and Constanze's fall as they sat upon it; the soft fabric shifting slightly beneath them as a great number of Stanbots spilled out from under it, holding the two of them aloft in their stumpy little arms as they all sang out Akko's name, excitedly welcoming her. The brunette saw the exterior makings of the mighty Stanship all round her little landing pad, putting her and Constanze right on the bridge and right on the money for where they needed to be.

"Aww, hey guys! I'm glad to be back!" She waved at them happily, but her cheer was cut short when the little robot helpers abruptly lifted the end of the mattress at Constanze's end at a sharp angle, sending the girl falling into her as they were both poured into a hatch that snapped open to meet them.

"Ugaah!" Akko yelped and fell painfully head-first into a familiar seat upside down. After ungracefully righting herself, the console of Grand Charion sprung to glorious activity right in front of her, basking her sparkling eyes and toothy grin in its bright shades of magic energy.

Akko made to yell out something hopeful, but her words sputtered to nothing when she felt a soft, caressing sensation brisk the back of her head. A slight yet not unwelcome chill ran like a cool gentle breeze down the point of contact, petting the smoothness of her neck as it settled into a prickling, warm tremble in her shoulders. Had Constanze just…kissed her?

Constanze's soft, small hands roped around the crest of Akko's sternum, linking together shaking fingers to her own elbows as the German girl held Akko tight in that hug for a few seconds, all the while the start-up sequence of the ship escalated its obnoxious light and noise without input. Constanze's short whisping breath tickled the exposed skin of her neck, coaxing a minute shudder from the brunette.

Akko was startled by the loving gesture, but as the Stanship continued to boot up, her initially tense body relaxed into the girls' silent embrace. Part of Akko thought that Constanze probably wasn't being herself, that such a bold statement of love would never have come about without all the strange happenings at the Academy as of late. But…did that simply mean the girl was holding back those feelings? Just like Diana, just like Chariot…held back by logic, by the trepidation and expectations of others, restricted by the misty clouds of shyness…

Was that what was happening? Were their emotions and desires overriding everything else? Because to Akko, no single atom of Constanze's trembling embrace felt forced, nor artificial. It was a Love fuelled by magic, but Love all the same. Akko didn't know if she even deserved such unmitigated feelings from the precious girl, or from anyone else for that matter. It was a dizzying hurricane that she was still trying vainly to grasp in her thoughts. Those animes she'd watched in the past made these things out to be so simple…

"Constanze…" Akko started but a loud whining beep from the console at eye-level interrupted her. The magic fuel gauge was lit up to absolute maximum, meaning the Stanship was all set to go. Constanze broke her hug and launched back into her own seat, strapping herself in and gripping her controls with gleaming fire blazing in her eyes. Akko watched Constanze yank an overhead lever with a grunt, initiating a blast transformation from ship to mech meant to conserve energy, as indicated by a crackling heads-up-display of the sequence from the hangars' camera feed. The army of Stanbots nearby scurried away from the much larger and flashier robot, disappearing into several hatches lining the walls.

"Let's talk more. When there's time. First comes friends." Constanze said evenly as a heavy lurch rumbled through the small space accompanied by the deafening roar of the Charion's newly installed back thrusters surging to life, lancing out in four spears of blinding teal flame that kicked the giant mech from the ground.

Akko almost lost her lunch from the sudden jump to being airborne, secretly thankful that she hadn't had the chance to scarf down that cake her friends had snatched for her.

"Right! Let's do this! And Constanze…" Akko swivelled in her seat to fix the girl with another beaming smile. "Thank you so much."

Constanze returned the smile and attempted to hide the bright blush on her puffed cheeks behind her control wheel, and promptly yanked another nearby lever that launched the Charion off the grid with such a force Akko was immediately plastered screaming back into her seat.

"Time to fly!" Constanze screamed alongside Akko's wails as the Grand Charion torpedoed through a wall of rushing water before blasting out spinning into the endless, dizzying blue of the skies.

=][=

 **Another one down. A million thanks to all you lovely readers out there. Anyone got any good anime recommendations? Chamber of Time is still a ways away and I need something else to fill that void in the meantime. Anyway, hope this amused you. Later and love~**

 **-Queen**


	11. Pierce the Heavens!

**Sorry for the delay everybody. Got lots on my plate right now but I'll spare you the boring details. This Australian heat ain't helping me none, either. Here's another bit from this thing I like to write! Hope you like!**

 **Replies for my awesome readers and reviewers, first. You guys make it all worth it :)**

 **DuwangChew: Thank you, I appreciate you seeing it that way. I wanted to strike a good balance between being a silly harem and having grounded emotions of love. And yes, Donkey Kong was the bees knees when I was little. Only played the first one, Country, but me and my sis smashed that game so many times we probably wore the cartridge out. Love that underwater music…**

 **The Swordslinger: Heya, thanks for reviewing! Hmm, that's actually a good idea. It would make sense in the context of things. Yuri is for one and all.**

 **Your Intellegence: Hello again! I'm always happy to read your feedback. It always compels me to read back on my drafts to see if there's anything that could be expanded, or worded better, or kept more in-character. As a writer, I can always do better, so thanks for reminding me of that. With the games you suggested, I can only try Zodiac Age. I know it'll be good, loved the original, but I don't have the time to grind away materials like I used to. Still, I'll** _ **make**_ **time.**

 **Felix: Allright, cheers! I'll do my best to write that one alongside this one. I'm thinking of structuring it from Chariots POV, and going for a sort of "Forbidden Love" approach. The timid, kind teacher swelling from a love she can't admit, and must never act upon, until…well one step at a time. Hopefully won't be too long before I can hash it out.**

 **Jules12345: I'll do my best to finish this! Thanks for the continued encouragement. Wouldn't be able to do it without! I'll get to work on the Akko X Chariot piece soon. Hope you're enjoying this Aussie heat as much as I am, mate.**

 **Haxenacht: Thanks friend. Yes, we do need more of that. I'll do me best.**

 **Reviewer 7: Cool, thanks for that. I tried to picture what the fight scene would look like in the style of the show, and figured it wouldn't be too out there in making it wacky and over the top. And I'll definitely write that Akko X Chariot fic soon. An angle so unexplored should be a lot of fun to write about.**

 **Guest: Wow, that's awesome to hear. I like to spice my stories with a bit of humour when I can. Doesn't always work out but hey, it's good to know this got a few laughs from you. Thanks!**

 **Patrician: Thank you for that feedback. Let me tell ya, it's been a doozy trying to give each member of this harem a chance to shine. Would've been a lot easier to stick with one girl like you said, but I wanted to write something a little different, a little trickier. It's a miracle if I made it any way cohesive, so yay!**

 **Oscar: Ah yes. There's always that void after finishing a great show. Writing is like pouring hot soup into it. May not do much but it sure is fun. For sure I'll do that Akko X Chariot fic. I owe it to you guys. Thanks for sticking with me!**

 **TDawn: Yes~ That's the key word with a fic starring those two. Forbidden. Should be an interesting write-up. Thanks for reading this story, though. Hope you're having fun.**

 **Psykoakuma: Haha! Of course. Unicorns are always so fancy, so I thought it'd be funny to take it down a peg courtesy of a Chariot showtime kick. I've been meaning to look into Girl's Last Tour, definitely looks like something a little different. Hope it doesn't end on a depressing note…or not end at all. Thanks for riding along!**

 **(Another) Guest: Hey, cheers friend. I'm happy you and your friend are enjoying this thing! I'll have that Akko X Chariot fic down the pipe hopefully soon.**

 **.**

 **Ok then, please enjoy! This wobbly war-train of a fic from an author who always bites off more than she can chew!**

 **Little Harem Academia**

 _Pierce the Heavens!_

"Move it or lose it, sister!" Amanda roared out into the congested crowds. Several Witches turned away from the spectacle of the fight to glance at her in either annoyance and or curiosity, but both expressions morphed to wide-eyed surprise when they craned their heads upwards at Super Jasminka stomping towards them with sunrise smiles for all. Amanda O'Neil kept shouting over the din in her most demanding tone, though the jeering grin she wore told everyone she was having a bit too much fun doing so. "We're looking for any teachers around here! So move! The show's over!"

A multitude of puzzled faces looked to shouting redhead then to their classmates beside them. It seemed they didn't know where the faculty was hanging around at all, which didn't really come as much a surprise to anyone. The Luna Nova staff were notorious for being conveniently late any time some school-wide crisis was afoot, if they showed up at all. Even so, as Lotte trailed behind Jasminka with Sucy in step, she did what she could to disperse the crowds and keep an eye out for any teachers. Although any time she peeped her mouth open to speak to the Witches gathered, she'd always wince into silence when either Amanda's booming voice or an explosion from the barrier kept interrupting her.

"Everyone… please-!" A crackling thunderclap of piercing white lit up the barrier with an accompanying shock of ear-popping noise. A great deal of the crowd cheered and applauded right after, stamping out Lotte's voice completely.

"Oh spirits…this place is too loud…how are we going to get their attention? They barely notice me at all…" The quiet girl murmured to her friend sauntering along next to her. Only Lotte found herself talking to no one at all. Sucy had completely vanished at some point, lost in that sea of pointed hats converging at her every side. "Huh? Sucy? Where did you…? Oh no…"

Lotte wasn't good at dealing with such congested crowds unless it was a Nightfall convention. All those unfamiliar faces swimming about stoked another nervous flush from the mousy girl that Lotte failed to notice she'd clamped onto Jasminka's hip, holding the pink-haired half-giant close.

"I'm sorry…!" Lotte breathed out a hasty apology, but felt compelled to hang on regardless. Jasminka looked down at her as they continued to walk, fishing out a small wrapped candy from her pocket and handing it into Lotte's palm who could only laugh nervously to herself before accepting the gift with an appreciative nod.

"Hey! Found em!" Amanda abruptly shouted and shot ahead into the parting crowds. Lotte peeked out from Jasminka's side and sure enough, there was Professor Finneran and Headmistress Holbrooke standing about calmly with a great view of the fight. They both turned to ogle Amanda in surprise when they spotted the redhead bounding rapidly towards them.

"Finny! Boss Lady! We've got to get everyone away from here! Akko's about to do something real brave and stupid to put a stop to the fight! I don't think any of us wants to be around when that happens!"

Amanda's no-nonsense roaring declaration only received a tiny raise of Holbrooke's brow in response, with Finneran choosing to do nothing to her stone-faced scowl.

"Oh my. Perhaps we should do something to disperse this little gathering. Everyone's getting so excited, and Ursula is sure to win this contest in spectacular fashion any moment now…" Holbrooke said disenchanted, peering back to the barrier as if forgetting Amanda was even there.

The girl was about to shout something else, probably flustered at how rudely she was being ignored, but Finneran easily beat her to the punch.

"How can you say that, Headmistress?!" Finneran shot back, crossing her arms as she too turned back to the fight. "It is clear Diana has the upper-hand. Ursula is only adept at Illusion magic, and my star pupil's clairvoyance with such things is unmatched. You cannot hide anything from Miss Cavendish."

Amanda stood fuming and shaking uncontrollably on the spot as Holbrooke and Finneran totally ignored her as they bantered back and forth.

"That may be true, Anne. But Ursula hides much of her potential from most of us. Her timidity is her strength, not a weakness."

"I'll give you that, Headmistress. Perhaps in the end it'll come down to who has the deeper, more powerful connection with Miss Kagari. Now there's a year end exam worth putting together."

"Oooh, yes! Love! What an unpredictable, wonderful thing!"

Amanda stamped her foot down, screaming at the top of her lungs at the two of them.

"DON'T IGNORE ME! We've got to get everyone away!"

Only Finneran cared to look her way that time, still ever-scowling.

"Watch your tone, O'Neill! Do not test my authority!"

Finneran turned away without even bothering to let Amanda respond, which was to the girls favour as the redhead threw up an obscene gesture at the woman and whirled back to face her friends, her expression glowing red with flustered fury.

"Useless! As always!" She snapped angrily, hands gripped tight to her hips. Amanda looked over to Jasminka then Lotte in turn, she too seeming to notice one of their doomed party was missing. 'Huh? Where'd Sucy run off to?"

Lotte just shrugged sheepishly. "I'm sorry. She was just with me a moment ago. Then again, any time she does disappear…"

Amanda cocked her head at Lotte's trailed sentence.

"What? What happens?"

Lotte offered another shy smile before answering back, an odd relief calming her nerves. She knew Sucy better than most.

"Helpful Mischief."

=][=

"Hey you, what's your name?" The Mushroom Witch asked the red-haired girl quite bluntly. She looked at Sucy, slightly perturbed at the sudden question, but still replied nervously. An earth-shaking blast had rocked the courtyard moments before, cloaking the inside of the barrier in a thick rolling smoke, and allowing a moment of terse quiet to follow, which Sucy was currently using to her favour

"Umm, it's Sarah. Did you…need something?"

"Sarah, of course. I don't need anything. But I have a little thing for you." Sucy muttered and held something small out in her hand, to which perhaps in ignorance or reflex, Sarah allowed the other Witch to drop the item onto her outstretched palms.

It was a tiny, blue-shaded mushroom with sickly purple spots. Sarah scrunched her face in mild disgust at the fungi. Before she could retort in receiving such a "gift", the mushroom quickly started to inflate in size, already spilling out from the width of the girls hands.

"Huh? What's this thing?" Sarah blurted shakily, still holding the mushroom at arms length which had ballooned to the size of a small cauldron and was still growing.

The growth halted suddenly, but that was when the mushroom started to tremble and wiggle disgustingly in Sarah's hands which proved to be her final straw as she let go of the squirming fungi from her grip with a startled shriek.

The mushroom squelched onto the dirt, its slimy surface poking all over with strange spasms that grew in tenacity every passing moment. Sarah, and a few other girls close by watched the mushroom in tense anticipation, which was all the more unnerving with the battle in the barrier having stalled into an eerie quiet in that hiding smoke.

Sarah took a single, cautious step towards the mushroom, which then immediately halted its odd movements.

"Eh?"

A pause. A gentle wind blew. Then all at once every single purple spot on the mushroom burst outwards, splattering everyone around it in thick gobs of the awful-smelling substance. Sarah took the brunt of it, managing to block most of it using her face. Unfortunately, the disgusting goo proved a precursor to the absolutely stupendous swarm of glowing neon-green spiders that _poured_ from the gaping spots in the mushroom and immediately fanned out in every direction in a raging sea of chittering legs and fangs.

The result was instantaneous. Sarah and every other girl standing nearby shrieked in raving terror as the spiders crossed the distance from the shroom to their bare legs in a second-flat. Their wild screaming caught the attention of the other Witches at their backs, who turned one after another to see what all the commotion was about. When they saw their classmates frantically running towards them covered in glowing spiders and with a torrential mound of the critters closing in like a tidal wave behind them, they responded with panicked shrieks of their own. A chain reaction borne of spiders, screaming and general pandemonium flowed outwards to the rest of the crowd, eventually revealing the form of one Sucy Manbavaran standing still amongst the chaos, completely covered in the crawling insects except for the sharp, amused grin wickedly glinting through.

"Heh. Needs way more power."

Her loud devilish cackling mingled cruelly with the random tearful shouting and the ominous chattering from the torrent of innumerable summoned bugs. Though Sucy was in the midst of experiencing a tremendous moment of euphoric joy, she took a moment to relish the fact that her nature to cause trouble had actually been useful. Her loyal critters had cleared most of the immediate area around the barrier, achieving her little Witch groups' goal all by herself. She didn't have to be a mushroom scientist to figure that her friends' efforts to get the faculty to actually do something would amount to diddly flipping squat.

The panicky shrieking from the fleeing Witches finally lowered in its intensity, and Sucy hummed a hefty sigh of relief at watching them go; her glowing spiderlings pausing their chase at a certain distance, their task done as they seemed to jitter and squeal in delighted victory.

Most of the bugs that had crawled about Sucy leapt off her body to join the celebrations with their kin below, save for one of their tinier crawlers that remained perched on Sucy's cheek; its small neon-green light drawing a glowing circle on the girl. Though the bug was acutely small, it had a fairly expressive set of beady black eyes that curiously followed its summoners gaze to something glinting up in the sky off to the distance.

"Oh, Akko." Sucy drawled as she lazily watched the distant light draw closer by the second, the little spider on her cheek choosing to run excitedly in tight tiny circles. "It's tough to get noticed nowadays, huh? Maybe next time the school is in danger of being completely destroyed, you'll come and save me?"

Her sharp smirk melted. A near-quivering, soft smile replaced it as Sucy watched Akko come to her, ripping through the very heavens in the process. She knew Akko wasn't actually coming for her though, that truth was a little saddening. The day when that idiot would pilot a giant robot for her was yet to come. All the same, it didn't change the one thing Sucy loved about that girl the most.

"...To come and save me...what the hell is that? You already did."

=][=

Never in all her years of cunning procrastination and abstinence from trifling distractions had Diana ever thought to find herself in the insane situation she'd thrust herself into. A Duel. With the very woman who had inspired her when she'd still been a starry-eyed child, the one and only Shiny Chariot Du Nord. Her body moved on some base, primal instinct as she swung her wand in wide arcs, willing every spark of magic energy still surging in her spirit to whip out from the tip of her instrument of destruction, all with the intent of knocking the crimson-haired older woman onto her behind, to stop the humiliating dancing she ceaselessly paraded before her. At one point Diana paused her onslaught of projectile spells to catch a ragged breath, only for Chariot to twirl about and fire off a piercing lightning bolt with a deft flick of her wand from far ahead.

"Tch!" Diana repelled the wicked snaps of electricity that snaked across the ground to her in a second using a rudimentary barrier spell, splitting the attack into several arcs that punched into the patches of grass about her, igniting them into crackling spot fires.

Diana couldn't let down her guard for a moment. Though Chariot was prancing about like an uncouth jester the woman hadn't relented in the slightest her desire to win that battle. She was just trying to rattle her, to distract Diana by making her face the source of her childhood inspiration. It also wasn't making it any easier that a misbehaving corner of her psyche couldn't hold back Diana's marvel of just how wonderfully _wrong_ Chariot's costume looked on her, along with the cheery confidence the woman flaunted with her admittedly impressive dancing whilst wearing it. It reminded Diana of the mortifying fact that she herself had a replica of that very costume tucked away in a box piled beneath everything she owned in Luna Nova. She'd worn that racy thing only once, and the still picture of her reflection in that thing still haunted her to that day, threatening to bring about the kind of hidden desires Diana simply would not allow herself to entertain lest her reputation be sullied into an oblivion of embarrassment.

"Hmm…" Diana sighed with an agitated frown that prompted her to knead her temple gingerly, her other hand still holding her wand at the ready; it's sparking edge still aimed squarely at Chariot's head. The woman had paused her aggravating dance and was sauntering towards her, circling in at a angle as her own wand hung loose at her thigh. Chariot motioned to the crowd as she walked, whipping out another enthused wave with an accompanying disarming smile, but when the crimson-haired Witch refocused her attention on Diana, that bright charisma took a darkened, sharp edge. The subtle shade from Chariots hat masked her features in an unnatural dark, save for the twin gleams of shining red piercing out from it, itching an an anxious shudder from Diana's aching shoulders.

Diana gripped her wand tight in both hands now as Chariot continued her unnerving approach, her summoned illusions of childish fairy-tale creatures still dancing and flitting about her form. Diana would not distracted by them, her sharp glare tracing every single small step the woman made with full concentration.

Frustratingly, Chariot did not open fire as she glided closer with easy, almost mocking steps. Diana hesitated only for a scarce second, then decided she wasn't going to buy into any such feint, lashing out a chilling snap-freeze contrail of magic with a weighty upswing of her wand. Her emphasis on the attack seemed to stun Chariot with its speed as the woman's eyes went wide just as the icy rush blanketed her face as it slammed home.

"Got you!" Diana breathed out, straining unsuccessfully to hide the relief in her voice. She was winded and sore, a painful and unrefined pain in her behind particularly irking her. And though the air was thick in the heavy mists of magic, Diana herself was already reaching a point where her nerves and composure were frayed from its overuse. Her hands grasping her wand shook of their own accord, and a worrying aroma of burnt toast wafted about, annoying the heiress even further.

The impact from her spell had cast a choking icy mist where Chariot had been, leaving only her frosted hat flipping end over end above it before the accessory fell back to earth quickly and broke into several chunks after crashing to the dirt.

Diana's ragged relief spun unto chilling dread at the sight. Her icy spell had been far too powerful, enough to snap-freeze an article of clothing with a winging shot…a direct hit to a person would've…

"Chariot…!" She tried to yell out, but her exhaustion barely made it a whisper. The crowds gathered were still beset in their shameful excitement, continuously yelling and cheering through the barrier that did little to mitigate the rushing noise. Diana resented them for the first time, taking such pleasure in a barbaric scene like that. But…who was she to feel that way, when it was all her fault to begin with? That resentment shifted, weighing down on her own weary shoulders.

The Witches surrounding the barrier suddenly broke out in a brief amused chant of laughter. Puzzled and tense, Diana looked to their faces and noted how their bedazzled eyes were focused right on her, or rather…directly _behind_ her.

"Ara, that was a good try, Diana." Came the sing-song voice a mere pace at her back, seizing Diana's nerves rigid in a surprised jolt. Her reflexes kicked in much slower than she would've liked as she twirled clumsily to face Chariot, emitting an unladylike grunt as she did so.

Chariot already had her wand raised at Diana's chest, its point flaring as a stocked spell snapped angrily within it, barely held back from firing off. The wielder herself stood atop a flat chunk of ice punched into ground, putting the woman a good three feet above Diana as she glanced nonchalantly downwards at her with an unnervingly cold expression. How aggravating it felt to Diana that her Professor had managed to sneak up on her so easily, and not only that she could tell by Chariots stance and the gleaming diffusions of magic from her wand that she already had a charged spell waiting to fire, putting an intensely agitated Diana dead to rights.

"You broke my Shiny Hat, Diana." Chariot said with a faux innocence, tilting her head slightly with a coy pout. "But hey, I've got an idea…!"

Diana just stood there, body coiled in preparation for the slightest chance to dash to a better position, but as Chariot taunted her, that charged spell in her wand never aimed anywhere but directly on target. She simply had to relent against the childish badgering and wait for that moment to strike.

"...why don't you let me borrow _yours_?"

That moment could clearly not wait. In a stunned instance of movement, Diana raised her wand just high enough to point at her target and loosed an aqua-blue beam of a spell with dazzling speed. She hadn't shouted the incantation, there'd been no time for that, instead forcing the spell to fire with a practised but costly flair of her magical prowess.

Chariot barely had time to even gape as the spell shot towards her, catching the woman completely by surprise. But her inhuman reflexes took hold and urged her stance to shift in an instant to a defensive one, ready to meet the attack.

Diana yelled out a piercing shout as she snapped her wand downwards, abruptly spurring her spell to pitch downwards mid-way and crash into the glassy podium Chariot was standing on. The woman yelped in a shrill gasp of shock as all of a sudden her feet had nothing but a pulverised mist of ice beneath them, causing her body to instantly shunt into a clumsy and flailing fall. It all happened so fast that the spell she'd been holding in place blasted out from her wand as she fell and shot skywards into a twisting crimson beam that ricocheted off the barrier ceiling before _slamming_ into the grass at the far opposite end, erupting into a howling explosion that left a hideous gaping scar in the earth.

The blast itself most definitely worked in Diana's favour, as she saw Chariot fall to the ground in a heap the woman also winced her gaze at the blinding light from the explosion gleaming at Diana's back. It was then or never, the heiress thought in a frenzied daze as she struggled the final threads of her strength to will her limbs to throw herself at her opponent before she could recover from the fall. Before Chariot could even settle her momentum after landing, Diana was already there, spearing down at her with a shout, her wand reared back by her chin ready for one last flourish before the end, all the while the rolling explosion engulfing half the barrier framed her taut body in a grim silhouette.

The explosion from Chariot's missed spell run its course, now nothing but a gaping ragged tear belching smoke as flaming debris rained down around its centre. The crowds predictably cheered after the fact, but quickly descended into hushed murmurs when that very smoke from the amusing explosion blanketed the inside of the barrier in a thick mist of grey and black, obscuring the combatants within.

Diana couldn't see for a few tense seconds as her vision was clouded as well, but her breathing was thankfully clear as she gasped in several shaking breaths. As the smoke gradually cleared, Diana knew she had Chariot. She'd thrown herself atop her, sitting heavy on her chest with her wand touching the fine skin of the woman's neck, creasing it inwards slightly from the contact. Chariot stared up at her with wide, incredulous eyes of genuine shock, her glimmering pools of crimson close enough for Diana to see her ragged and exhausted reflection within them. As she continued to grimly catch what little clear breaths she could manage in that trembling exhaustion, Diana noted with gnawing puzzlement the way Chariot's expression gradually morphed the more she unblinkingly gazed down at her.

Shock and surprise slowly relented to give way to a shaking sadness; the arcs of her unrealistically perfect brows curving into a teary-eyed scowl as Chariot lightly bit her teeth down, glossy lips quivering ever slightly. Diana did the best she could to ignore the look her Professor was giving her. The woman was just trying to unnerve her looking like that. She had to stay focused! If she didn't win the duel then all was for naught!

"Yield your wand, if you would." Diana commanded with a light tweak of her wand-point into Chariot's neck. Her throat was so dry her voice had come out quite worn, almost to the point Diana could hardly recognise her own words. Chariot didn't give any mirth of attention to the wand poised at her neck as she continued to stare up at the blonde without any words forming on her curled biting lips, her face still awash in a sudden emotion that flared the blood in Diana's form unto an uncomfortably and yet gallingly familiar rippling of a sensation. It was…no, what was she thinking? Chariot was her enemy. Her opponent. The one who stood between herself and Atsuko Kagari. Diana's greatest threat. Diana's…first…her first…

"I'm sorry it turned out like this, Diana." Chariot finally spoke, her tone strained from the weight of the girl straddling her. The sadness in her visage held, but there was an added tinge of regret now forming on the woman's unabashed grin. "I don't think…I don't think I'm going about this the right way, am I? I really haven't changed. Even after all this time. I see something that I want, something I dream of, and I go after it, not stopping until I've hurt everyone around me to get it…"

Diana let her speak, taking the continued opportunity to catch a much-needed breath. Even so, listening to her somehow proved more taxing than everything that had come before. The wand fused in her tightly wound fist felt weighed down, threatening to slip from her sweating palm. All she had to do was let it go and the nightmarish ordeal would be over…but her aggravating pride screamed at Diana that Chariot would do it first. For Akko's love. For _herself_. Because she…because…what was happening? Her thoughts blurred into a congealed mess, giving way to a lucid moment of clarity. All she could ask herself then was… _why_?

"It's not proper for me to feel the way I do. I know that." Chariot continued, her voice drooping to a lower, murmuring octave, but she did not look away from Diana's vexing stare. "I'm supposed to guide her on the path. To be her kind shield from the dangers of this world she still has so much to learn about. It's not right to want her for myself. Just because I missed that chance at her age…"

Diana heard a slight click, a cold chill shooting up her spine when she realised a slight pressure was pressing into her chest, directly on her sternum. How had she not noticed it before? It was such an amateur mistake!

The two Witches remained in that tense, compromising position completely unmoving, like a macabre, unrelenting sculpture; Diana straddling Chariot, her Wand held tight in her right hand whilst her other hung loose and dejected at her side, the blonde's reserved and prim features dirtied with mud and grass stains to an ignoble portrait of reckless ruin. Chariot simply lay still and flat with her own wand spiked upwards from her waist into Diana's chest, still staring up at Diana as her flowing hair haloed beautifully on the earth around her pained expression.

"It's not right for me to want her, Diana. I'm a Professor too. But…I just can't _control myself_. And neither can you. Otherwise we wouldn't be in this position."

Chariot cracked a remorseful grin, leaning her head back a little as she drew in a series of slowing breaths, her chest rising and falling beneath Diana's pinning thighs. Diana herself immediately felt her agitation at the ludicrous situation grow ever more perturbing at the increasingly dizzying sight of the woman beneath her. For a scarce second she nearly forgot Chariot's wand was point-blank at her chest, her mounting embarrassment and humiliation piling on her shaken nerve.

"Diana…you're blushing…" Chariot eked out in a hushed whisper, her expression paling. Her sharp crimson eyes grew wide, glittering slightly as her lips stayed parted a fraction with her quickening breaths. Diana was overcome with even more self-conscious doubt when she felt the woman's breathing tickle the point of her nose, seizing her own respiration to a momentary standstill.

Chariot was too close. It seemed as if the blurring destruction surrounding and masking them from curious eyes was closing in around them, converging into the cyclonic madness of emotions erupting from Diana's tattered soul. Or perhaps…she had physically moved herself closer to her…what in the **world** was she doing?

"C-Chariot…!" Diana sputtered, unsure of what she even wanted to say. Her voice was broken and weak, her mind a terrible maelstrom. There was nothing else she could think to do except speak, as remaining idle was easily threatening her ability to stay conscious. "I…I…want…I need…ah…ahhhh…"

Chariot's expression changed again. Her gaze of puzzled wonder softening to a restrained and inviting glow of a smile with a deep and slow exhale of breath to go with it. There was also a tense flutter of movement that rushed through her body, turning Diana's blood cold as that same anxious ripple seemed to flow from the woman's frame and coursed through her own.

"Diana, I'm feeling a little weird." Chariot managed with a little coy giggle. Diana's mind sang in wonder at the sound, much to her annoyance. "One of us has to do something."

"Perhaps you can forfeit?" She countered hopefully. "We've both sullied our names with this farce long enough. And…and yes…this is making me feel strange as well."

Another soft giggle piped from Chariot, another wave of anxious prickling down Diana's back.

"Yes, I suppose we've really made a mess of things. At least the smoke is hiding us for the time being. But right now, I'm only worried about what Akko will think of us."

The mention of that name paused everything in Diana's world. Things finally slowed enough to where she could focus her rational mind on the situation at hand. With a sickening dread, she realised what Chariot was saying. The two of them had been so caught up in their fight they hadn't stopped to think of what would happen to the subject of their conflict. Diana felt like slapping herself when the obvious became clear; the winner wasn't going to win Akko at all. That girl, that sweet, innocent, annoying conduit of joy and energy…was going to be severely displeased with them both.

"Diana, we've made a mistake." Chariot said sternly, suddenly letting her wand arm droop to the floor, her only weapon clattering away from her palm right after. "I don't know what I was thinking. I felt…I felt _drunk_ with something…I couldn't stop thinking about her, Diana…"

"Stop!" Diana yelled out, scrambling to her feet and taking a few shaking steps away from the crimson-haired Witch. She kept her wand aimed and at the ready, but her desire to harm Chariot sifted away like fine sand from a broken glass. "Just stop! You're trying to confuse me! Yes, I may have loved you once! But things don't stay the same! There is…now is I-I don't…!"

Chariot shot to her feet with an athletic ground leap and fixed Diana with a bewildered ogling expression. Diana scrambled for an answer as to why the Professor was staring at her like that for, until she took note of what had come bumbling out her mouth a few seconds prior. _Ancestors release me_ , she prayed grimly.

"Diana, did you just say…" The woman began, taking a tentative step towards Diana and ignoring her fallen wand off to the side. Though Chariot was unarmed, Diana still raised her wand at her, halting her from making any more advances.

"Quiet! Not another word!"

"Oh…" Chariot cast her eyes downward ashamedly, looking genuinely hurt and vulnerable. Her flaring red bangs caught the light of a nearby towering flame, gleaming it into a gorgeous flowing mane. "…well, whatever your feelings now, Diana…I just want to say I'm happy to hear that. And…I'm so sorry…"

Diana took another wobbling step backwards and caught her heel on something, yelping out indignantly as she fell hard onto her already sore backside. She shook off the hurting stubbornly and simply sat upright from the fall, wand still pointed at Chariot but now visibly trembling off-target. Bitter tears from the pain and confusion blurred her vision for a moment, prompting Diana to roughly wipe her eyes with the hem of her sleeve.

Once her view was cleared however, her vision returned to the sight of Chariot hardly a pace in front her, kneeling down to Diana's eye level, and still with that demurely kind smile robbing the girl of her hatred in huge swathes at a time.

"The Duel's over, Diana. I forfeit. This isn't me. This isn't you. Come on…"

Diana was hardly thinking of the duel any more. She found herself having a frantic reminisce of a gilded golden memory of her childhood; her first and only Shiny Chariot show. Those pure feelings of astonishment, later admiration, growing into something far more powerful.

That first Love. Locked away just like that card. As if it were a passing fancy.

But the relentless hammering of Diana's heart, the dizzying, spiralling vertigo of ungoverned emotion…

Just like that, Diana remembered it all. Those feelings had never left, they'd simply waited behind a weathered door in her thoughts; waited for the most inopportune moment to come bursting out.

She finally lowered her wand and let it slip from her fingers. Chariot's welcoming smile shone a little brighter, her red eyes glistening with a great relief as she shuffled even closer on her knees, carelessly muddying her boots and stockings in the process.

They were almost face-to-face then, and the furiously-blushing Diana was lost in a tingling euphoria as she watched wide-eyed and wordless as Chariot leaned towards her gingerly.

Diana swam in the red sparkling seas of those eyes, unwilling and or unable to move any further. A cool, tickling sensation washed over her when Chariot unbuckled her cape and gently wrapped it around Diana's shoulders.

She shivered at that, noticing the biting cold for the first time. Her liberal use of water-based spells had drenched the already-soft earth into a chilly mulch, not too mention the unfortunate soaking that Diana suffered through when her Unicorn had exploded back into its own realm. She absently reminded herself to apologise to the great beast for such a mishap.

In the time Diana took sitting there shivering, Chariot had moved herself to pick up her wand from the ground, then shifted slowly over to Diana before gingerly picking up hers as well.

The woman kneeled down right in front of her, holding the two wands gingerly in her palms at her chest. Diana didn't know what she was getting at, until Chariot carefully took one of Diana's hands and twined her fingers over the two items, effectively relinquishing them to her. Chariot's soft hands traced over her own, causing another stir in the rushing seas of Diana's emotions. Looking up from the warm contact of their hands, Diana found herself again lost in the wondrous, gentle and glittering gaze of Chariot's crimson eyes.

"There, now it's official. I would've given you my wand sooner, but I wasn't myself. I don't think anyone has been acting how they should…"

"Except for Akko." Diana managed a curt, smiling reply through her shivering. Chariot laughed a little at that, bowing her head a fraction.

"Haha! Yes, she's the only constant in all this. I just wish either of us had been strong enough to protect her like we promised. Instead we took the…selfish, jealous path. Oh my…what a mess this has turned to…"

Diana acknowledged that with a deep sigh, settling into the graciously dry fabric of Chariot's cape as she nuzzled it into her soaked nose.

"But don't worry, Diana!" Chariot perked up. "As long as we show Akko that what we did was wrong, I know she'll forgive us. If that fails I'll buy her all the cake my pay check allows!"

The blonde heiress giggled audibly at that; the genuine, spontaneous emotion somehow warming her more than Chariot's cape could. The picture of Ursula carting in piles of sugary treats to a ravenous and overjoyed Akko kept an unbroken smile on Diana's weary face.

"Now then, everything is going to be fine." The crimson-haired Witch announced confidently as she rose to her feet and struck a very Chariot-esque pose. "Once everyone calms down, we can all go back to how things wh-"

The two Witches jumped at the sudden piercing sound of screaming and shrieking that started from one end of the barrier until it seemed to be coming from every direction at once. Diana scrambled to her feet to frantically look about, but the smoke was still far too thick to see outside. Wondering what in the world was happening, Diana turned to Chariot to ask if she could see what was amiss, but the woman was already gaping at something far above them both, her wide-eyed and open-mawed stare at a total loss.

"-What is THAT!?"

Diana was already following her panicked gaze, craning her head back as far as she could. And there it was, a glinting meteor shooting down and piercing the sky; framed by the only spot clear of smoke inside the barrier. As Diana blinked up at it incredulously, the falling calamity showed no curve or angle as it grew suddenly in size…meaning it was rocketing down right towards them.

"Another missile!?" Chariot blurted breathlessly as she and Diana stood side-by-side, staring upwards and slack-jawed at it helpless.

The object's size burst larger and larger, sparking a sudden clarity in Diana's thoughts when her sharp vision saw what was really hurtling towards them.

"No! It's…!"

The falling ufo caught the bright glare of the sun against the giant spinning drill protruding from it right before it hit its mark, _slamming_ into the very top point of the barrier from above. The drill caught in its spin for a moment, leaving no mark on the barrier at all, until with a sudden rending crash it ripped straight through. The shield crumbled and crashed outwards from the point of impact, shattering like brittle crystal as twinkling diffusions spat out bright streams of rainbow-coloured magic that had held it together. Along with that blinding light-show, the smoke and fire from the battle that had taken place in the centre were extinguished when the gleaming form of a giant robot sent out a ripping shock wave when it landed into a stylish crouch.

As the resounding roar from the onrushing cacophony of noise finally began to die down, the smoke and spinning coils of loose magic did so with it. Then mercifully, silence.

Diana and Chariot hadn't moved from their frozen positions of standing by one-another, but the unexpected entry had kicked up a generous wall of mud and loose grass all over them.

A light creak sounded when a tiny hatch popped open atop the robots head, revealing none other than Atsuko Kagari. She scanned the annihilated landscape from on high with a hand shielding her eyes from sunlight, until she quickly spotted the stunned, unmoving forms of Diana and Chariot staring up at her.

"There you two are! Prepare to face my wrath!" Akko yelled as she punched her shaking fists into the air. No sooner had she stopped shouting when one of her feet slipped out spectacularly from under her. She shrieked in disbelief as Akko tumbled forward and fell howling off the robots head, spinning three times in mid-air before landing spread-eagled into a huge pool of churning mud, face-first of course. Constanze peeked out from that same hatch on the robot and after spotting her sputtering mud-covered co-pilot far down below, simply face-palmed and shook her head dejectedly.

"Well..." Chariot spoke up as Akko struggled to collect herself, slipping clumsily once more into the muddied brine. "I sure wasn't expecting _that_."

=][=

 **Yikes, that was a tough one to write. I think I could've done a lot better, but hey, live and learn. Thank you SO much for all the continued support, guys. I feel compelled to see this through with your wonderful feedback. I may take a bit longer to update (Christmas Season, whoop), but I'll do my best to do so. Bye for now! Have some** _ **Love!**_

 _ **-Queen**_


	12. Everybody! Love and Peace!

**A million thanks to CatKudo for that Fanart! Like, WHAT. You're trying to kill me with the joy from seeing something like that. It was so adorable~ For anyone curious you can find it on CatKudo's Twitter, along with lots of other great pieces of LWA fanart.**

 **(A haggered banshee rises from a crypt so ancient it crumbles to dust behind her. With wheezing rasps of dust thick with old decay, she glides soundlessly to her computer to write more fanfiction)**

 **Hello! This is overdue! Sorry, but I had the great idea of hosting my extended family at my place for the holidays. Seven kids. The screaming. The mess. I never want to do that again. Even as I type this now I still expect a sugar-driven demon spectre to appear over my shoulder asking where the presents are hidden. And my god, their grubby hands made everything sticky…ugh…**

 **Anyway enough about my boring life. Let's jump into the customary review replies. I always enjoy doing these :)**

 **Guest: The rarest of ships for sure. Maybe I can do a quick one-shot of something like that. You know what they say about a couple who fight all the time.**

 **Technodude458: Thanks for that. Alcor will always judge these proceedings as such. I got the idea from one of my cousins' cats. Grumpy bastard would always glare at me no matter how many times I saw him.**

 **Guest 2: I guess so! Sometimes a good ol fight can trigger something like that, haha.**

 **Felix: Hey yeah, that kind of relationship dynamic sounds pretty plausible. Something like that is rife for some juicy drama. I hope my Akko X Chariot fic is up to snuff once I publish it soon. Thanks for sticking around!**

 **PsykoAkuma: Thanks for another nice review! With Diana Diamond, well no one can blame ya with that, lol. Diana is very big draw for the show, and I find its a lot of fun to write her too. I really like spiders so I amused myself with that scene. You get used to them living in Australia. Gotta watch for them White Tips though :\**

 **Guest 3: That Fanart! When I saw it I had such a hearty laugh that buzzed a smile on me for a week straight. Thanks for pointing me to that! And of course, thanks for reading!**

 **TDawn: Thank you friend. I have a passion for trying to inject action and crazy nonsense into my writing. Over time I think I got pretty good at action scenes in particular, so thanks for the praise on that! I'll have the Akko x Chariot fic up soon as my next update.**

 **DuwangChew: Showing up late is kind of Akko's thing :P. Nice to see you again!**

 **Oscar: Hey, no worries. Thanks for reviewing. I admit that scene did get a little 'rich' as you put it. But hey, welcome to Fanfiction!**

 **Reviewer7: Woah, thanks for that…I'm glad I got that kind of nice stir out of you. I think I still have a lot to learn about emotional writing, but your praise makes me believe I've been improving on that front. Thank you so much…**

 **BetwixtOni: You've seen this before? Have I repeated something? I wouldn't totally doubt it. Your words vex me, Oni!**

 **Your Intelligence: Cheers for that solid critique. I did think some things in that chapter might feel 'off'. It got a bit zanier and I wondered if I could still keep the silliness still grounded in the spirit of LWA. And the Sucy thing with the spiders, fair enough if it seemed strange or OOC. Although thinking back on the show Sucy doesn't really shy away from being disruptive like that. Still, your in-depth reviews are always a treat. And a big thanks for your PM's. That support was awesome. Let's definitely play MH World when it comes!**

 **The Swordslinger: Hey, I'm happy this fic helped you relax any way at all. These times can be pretty stressful. Stay strong, eh?**

 **Kid face1028: Thanks for reviewing again! I'm glad you think so.**

 **[]**

 **Ok, let's go peeps. My next update will be an Akko X Chariot fic. Please enjoy!**

 **Little Harem Academia**

 _Everybody! Love and Peace!_

Sleep was proving to be an insurmountable task that particular night, Diana pondered with growing agitation as she sat rigid and restless on the side of her bed facing the window. The soft white gleaming of the moons' reflections shone obnoxiously bright through the clean glass as Diana peered ahead blankly, though she found herself idly tracing the movements of dust and other tiny particles floating amongst the air and light. Her brow was wrinkled tight and lips pursed into a grit scowl, a clear indicator if someone had been watching that Diana was currently trapped in a scattered world of unease known as her inner desires. Her expression never slackened as the silent minutes crawled by with no inkling of sleep ever close to gracing her. The quiet amplified the subtle sounds of her two friends and team-mates sleeping effortlessly in their respective beds on the other side of the room; their soft, easy breaths rhythmic and calming.

Every now and then Diana heard Barbara mutter something under her breath followed with a shift under her covers, trailed quickly by Hannah responding to her friend with some subconscious whispered ramblings of her own. Sometimes the banter would go back and forth several times, like the two had somehow found each other within their dreams. Thinking of it like that, Diana lightly envied that measure of closeness. It was a special thing, when two people are so comfortable with one another that they appear inseparable in the waking world as well as outside it, as if the forces of creation always intended they be together by perfect design.

Another padded sound was picked up by Diana's hyper sensitive hearing; one she was quite used to getting an ear-full of on similar sleepless nights gone by. In her sleeping stupor Hannah had passed her dear friend the third cushion for that night; blindly throwing it from her bed to its new recipient before flopping back onto her pillow without a second of rest lost. Barbara replied with a brief mumble of something that didn't resemble any words, but could have only been a sense of gratitude for the collection of cosy gifts. Diana allowed herself a tiny, wry smile as she pictured the proceedings, somewhat comforted for that brief moment. No matter how bizarre or downright insane their day-to-day lives became, Hannah and Barbara always remained a constant at Diana's side. They could be catty and mean at the worst of times, but she knew they were naive and innocent at heart. How Diana sometimes wished she was the same way. How simple her life would be…

Her scattered thinking reached a halt at that, knowing it had turned a sharp curve into the dazzling place she didn't feel worthy to even glance at. Thinking about Hannah and Barbara with their sweet, child-like natures had inevitably reminded Diana of **Her.** No amount of effort stopped the renewed flood of bright emotions shining in her troubled heart, and with a deep dragging sigh Diana resigned herself to face the inner turmoil that was robbing her of all sleep.

It had only been a day ago, right after the 'incident' that had churned an already difficult situation into a preposterous one. With the school courtyard thoroughly ruined and the entire curriculum thrown into a chaotic pit owing to student and teacher alike ditching their responsibilities to witness the event, Luna Nova found itself at a standstill until the damage could be repaired and everyone settled down from all the excitement. Hastily the student body had been informed to focus on study and nothing else specific. Diana wasn't even told if she should expect retribution for the hand she played in completely derailing the current school term by almost blowing up the establishment over a childish spat.

But really, no matter how hard she struggled to think of the bigger picture, her concern always brought her back to Akko. Diana never thought that the chance she could be expelled would so easily play second fiddle to the fact that maybe, just maybe, that unbelievable girl had been hurt in a way that Diana, with all her prowess in White Magic, may never be able to mend.

It was no small slight, either. Diana had willingly shoved aside her morals and etiquette to "settle" a dispute with Akko's beloved and kind mentor, angering and upsetting the Japanese girl in the process. What made it all the worse was that the whole incident had occurred so shortly after checking on her in the infirmary; especially after they'd bonded closer with assurances of each other's trust and friendship. Akko had been crying back then because Yanson and Manbavaran had had a verbal scuffle moments before in her presence. At that time she had thought Akko's friends to be a little insensitive in having a quarrel in front of her considering the girl's condition. By the Nine Old Witches, what Diana had done in comparison effectively made her the Queen of All Hypocrisy under that critical scrutiny.

Diana grimaced inwards at the stone-cold fact of what the consequences were in that context, letting her head tilt back gradually on her stiff shoulders, her wistful eyes staring unfocused at nothing. She had betrayed Akko. Betrayed her trust, and betrayed her friendship. All for a moment of jealous rage that solved absolutely nothing. She could still see Akko's bright red face burning with exasperated frustration bearing down on her; shaking and shouting three overlapping lectures laced with some choice Japanese expletives as Diana and Chariot had stood helpless against the verbal barrage.

Her sleepless over-active mind conjured the scene from the shallow depths of recent memory, playing it over again clear as spring water.

=][=

"Dianaaa! Char-i-ot! Nononono and NO!" Akko, drenched in an unseemly mixture of mud and grass stains had rushed towards Diana and Chariot, making perhaps the most dynamic entry Diana had ever bore witness to; namely piercing down from the very sky to somehow crash through the barrier by the point of a giant drill attached to a giant robot. Even playing it back in her mind it still seemed unbelievable, but then she remembered it was Akko after all. The girl had surprised her yet again…

"Akko…!" Herself and Chariot had echoed in alarm as she approached them with haughty, overly-emphasised stomps of her feet that did little to intimidate but did plenty in splashing more muck over Akko's last bastions of cleanliness. Diana hadn't been able to say any more and neither had Chariot as the girl went on her deserved tirade at the two of them in the looming shadow of the giant robot she'd piloted there to prove her point beyond any normal, rational sense.

"You two are in SOOOOOoooo much trouble, you know that?!" She shouted hotly, her tone edged slightly to a level that Diana hadn't heard before. There was a fuming bite to her words that made Diana flinch with every syllable, bringing the terrible realisation to the blonde that Akko was beyond her "normal" stage of rowdy agitation. That time, the girl was truly upset. Truly wounded. "Why couldn't we just have a normal day again?! Is that really so much to ask! And what if something _extra_ bad happened during this stupid little fight! What would Luna Nova be without either of you?! WHAT WOULD…! What would _I_ be without either of you…"

Akko's brief flare of righteous anger had quickly run its course as her words took a miserable, almost mirthless turn to them. Her posture that for a start had been rigid with determination now seemed loose and phantasmal, leaving the girl standing there slumped in crushing dejection. The fire in her eyes dimmed to barely a shade of the striking red Diana had come to cherish, and soon after those same pools began to glimmer with tears that sparkled bright with the glow of the sun, much to the heiress' dreadful chagrin.

"I don't really know why all this is happening…" Akko continued, choking back her cries with a little snort. "All this business with Love and everything that goes with it. It's all so crazy. Even if it's true, what everyone's been saying, that you two wanted to destroy each other because of how you felt about me…even if it's true…I can't accept that anyone could think **this** was the way to show me any kind of love."

Diana was already struggling to maintain eye contact with the girl, so when Akko focused on her for a second with a tiny, sad smile, her own wretched shame and embarrassment clawed her gaze to the sodden floor. She'd opened her mouth a whisper to say absolutely anything to attempt to salvage any trace of Akko's selfless and kind heart, but nothing. Diana Cavendish, Heiress to the the Noblest of Witches, was unable to even murmur a cry.

From her downcast angle, Diana hazarded a slow glance to her "compatriot" standing close beside her. She let out a slight gasp at the sight of the mighty Chariot Du Nord with her trembling face buried in her hands, weeping soundlessly. For a second she focused on the slight quiver in the woman's shoulders but quickly had to look away as a sharp sadness inched away what little resolve Diana had left, instead she forced herself into staring at a tiny pool of mud at her feet with a tiny glinting shard of ice floating in its murky centre.

"It's almost like you guys don't really know me at all, huh…"

The quiet that followed was the most palpable of its kind. Diana felt an odd sensation of numbness as she pretended to be interested in the tiny ice shard that was now spinning slightly in its muddy home. A rueful thought of simply standing there despondent until the end of time snaked its way cruelly into her thoughts. But with the utter depletion of her mind, body, and soul, what else was there for her to do…?

"But I _forgive_ you!"

Those words. Like a beam of light shot straight through her heart, Diana was reborn anew in that moment for the simple task of believing what she'd just heard was real. In trembling disbelief Diana forced herself to lift her gaze and look the girl she loved straight in the eyes.

Atsuko Kagari was smiling her broadest, brightest smile. There were still twin streams of tears glancing her reddening cheeks amongst the caked mud, but that effervescent, impossible expression shone through her pain, overcoming it by sheer will alone. Then, Akko stretched her arms out wide to her sides as she let loose a raucous laugh ringing out that mingled with her cries.

"I forgive you both~! That's all there is to it, YA HEAR ME!"

Akko's voice broke at the shout, and for a moment Diana saw her wilt and nearly lose her nerve from all the gushing emotions, but with another sharp cry immediately followed by a relenting laugh, Akko stood her ground and held that joyful grin through her shaking, tear-stricken face; her arms still eagerly outstretched.

"So get over here! You guys could've blown up the academy, and you got pretty damn close to blowing up my heart! So at least give me this much!"

Akko's posture suddenly made sense. It was an…invitation. It was grace. Mercy. Absolution. Blessed forgiveness. Diana choked out her own cry as the the sadness and shame in her heart finally broke her, cascading a brief but unmitigated weeping as the tears flowed effortlessly. It was all too much. How was she even managing to stand on her own two feet then? Her weak, quivering knees felt ready to buckle, unable to hold her feeble form aloft for hardly a moment longer.

"Diana…" Chariots quiet voice broke through Diana's heavy-hearted reverie, making the heiress look to her Professor on some kind of automatic reflex. Chariot appearance matched how Diana felt in that moment quite aptly. The woman was a total mess of tears herself; remorseful crimson eyes arced in a pained expression of humbled pity, curled shivering lips biting away further tears grimly. "Let's go to her." She hushed, and already moved herself without waiting for a reply.

But Diana had already understood. In a mess of uncoordinated cries, sorrowful apologies and exhausted stumbling, she and Chariot fell into Akko's waiting, merciful embrace as one. Diana buried her forehead into Akko's right shoulder as Chariot echoed the movement on the brunette's left, both of their arms linking around the small of the girls back, holding gentle but tight. Akko's unique, inviting fragrance danced within Diana's heaving breaths, dizzying her at just how pleasant it felt to simply hold her close once again.

It was a wonderful, dazed moment of unbelievable relief. Diana cared not a fraction that all three of them were covered in muck and grime, she pressed into the eager hug with all her worth, holding absolutely nothing back as the apologies and reprimands flowed from her stuttering mouth in a jumble of relieved cries and barely coherent speech. Chariot's wave of apologetics mixed with Diana's own, now tapering with repeated gracious assurances from an increasingly bashful Akko.

"H-Hey, hey! It's allright. None of us need to cry like this any more. And…haha…! You guys sure are making it real hard for me…I'm still mad though! But…but this is Ok. Just being like this…it's _Ok_."

"Akko…I can't…what must you think of me…" Chariot stuttered, her faltering words muffled slightly in the crux of Akko's shoulder as the woman held her teary-eyes shut against the welcome embrace. "I can't take all this back, can I? I'm so sorry I betrayed you again, Akko. I just…I never seem to learn, do I…? I can't say I deserve to hear you forgive me…but if this is what you need to be happy here and now…oh, Akko. We really messed up didn't we…? "

Hearing the stifling, unmitigated sadness in Chariots unsteady voice, Diana gushed out her own warbling plea for forgiveness. She was far beyond any care for something as paltry as pride or humility by that point, so her words towards the girl poured forth without need for any procrastination; she gladly let all those reservations go and simply told that free-hearted, gracious girl how she truly felt.

"Akko…I'd give up all magic to take this day back…" She honestly meant that with every atom of whatever worth remained in her shaken heart. "I never wanted to hurt you, but I did. With my anger. My jealousy. I-I didn't stop to even consider what this idiotic battle would do to you…do to us. And if your unmerited forgiveness means I get solely one more chance to make this up to you…then I will accept that with no hesitation. On my name as a Cavendish, with…with all my heart…Akko…please, _please_ allow me to apologise. I'm so very sorry."

Akko abruptly yanked herself from their loving embrace, whirling on the spot to put her back to the two Witches a few paces away. Diana and Chariot stood stunned and pitiful, their dirtied hands frozen in the last vestiges of that hug that the girl had perhaps cruelly taken from them. In that silence, the heiress could hear the faintest of whimpers from the girl; the heart-rending sound ringing light in tandem with tiny shudders along her back. However, just as suddenly that Akko had turned her back, she spun quickly to face them again, now blazing with an emotion Diana knew all too well; a joyful reckless energy hers and hers alone. A strength to announce absolute victory before battle. She _adored_ that about her…

"Right! That'll do with all that then!" She smirked with her balled ups fists perched on her hips, looking slightly like some lost superhero for a second. In that moment, Diana noticed the minuscule shape of Constanze hovering a few metres away behind Akko. The girl was keeping her distance, but was staring hard ahead, her expression stoic and unreadable. Diana had been so overwhelmed with the emotional typhoon of the past few minutes that she'd shamefully missed her presence until just then. The quiet girl had been watching the watching the awkward exchange the whole time…

Before Diana could ponder that sight further, Akko shouted a declaration in front of her, funnelling her focus away from the sight of the pensive German girl.

"Y'know I did just forgive you, but don't think you two are off the hook by any stretch! I think it's about time I announce a new school project that'll be perfect for Luna Nova's most esteemed Witches, wouldn't you say?"

"A project? W-what did you want us to do?" Chariot asked quickly, doing a poor job of hiding her eagerness to repent. Of course, Diana felt exactly the same way about hearing what Akko had in store for them, so she offered an stern nod with the most energetic smile she could conjure to prompt the girl to go on.

"Hm! Well at the top of the list on this little thing I'd like to call the 'Do a few really cool things for Akko to make it right again' project, how about fixing up this little warzone that wasn't here an hour ago! I'll allow rest and healing beforehand, just because I'm feeling a little generous today!"

"Of course!" Diana answered immediately. Akko preened with extra confidence at how quickly she was getting her way, to which the blonde could hardly fault her. She was going to let Akko enjoy that moment as much as she desired.

"Next!" Akko roared with a fervent finger point at Chariot who jolted at the sudden movement with a flustered: "Eh?!"

"Professor Chariot! That costume is to be repaired ASAP! Then you will wear said costume any time I wish for the next week! Is that understood?"

"Eh…? EEEEEHH…!" The woman reeled back with the brightest glow of red lighting her face in a flustered instant, disbelieving eyes wide as saucers. Diana thought perhaps the ridiculous command would be rebuked, but it only took three whole seconds of sparkling embarrassment for Chariot to blurt out her agreement in a high pitched squeal of: "H-hai! Of course!"

Satisfied, Akko swung her determined gaze of retribution at Diana next, who quivered helplessly under that look. Of all the dangers Diana had faced, why was it what Akko had to say next more frightening then all those things mixed together? She prayed, _prayed…_ that the girl was none the wiser about Diana's own Shiny Chariot costume, and for a horrifying moment of shrinking under Akko's passionate, fiery regard, she panicked and opened her mouth to blurt out that she would wear that damned article of racy clothing at whatever whim the Japanese girl felt like.

It seemed Beatrix herself smiled down on her at that dramatic interval, as Akko, in her infinite grace, mercifully interrupted Diana before she could foolishly destroy the last shreds of her reputation.

"And as for you, Diana Cav-en-dish-" Akko cheekily played her surname coyly, leaning forward a bit on her heels with an impish, playful grin dancing on her lips that Diana found worrying and nervously enticing in equal measures. "-you're going to tell me the most embarrassing story from your past. I know you won't lie, so I'm sure you'll pick the best one, because it's _you,_ after all! I'll allow it as a secret just between us!"

Diana didn't have to scramble long for such a thing. There was that…item, hidden away. Why in the world was she somewhat **glad** that an opportunity to reveal that shameful secret to Akko had just fallen into her lap? Especially after dodging a magic bullet just before in barely stopping herself from blurting it out in the open. At the very least Diana would be in a better position to argue against wearing it…but picturing the absolute delight that would adorn her expression from doing so…Diana would consider it…

"You have my word, Akko. I will tell you an inglorious secret of mine when it is your wish to hear it." Diana internally struggled not to add ' _And I will wear that inglorious secret for you at the drop of a coin'_ to the end of that sentence. If her psyche had a face she would not hesitate to punch it right in its smug smirk. Why was she so recklessly eager to embarrass herself? That wasn't a requirement to winning back Akko's favour. No, those thoughts brimmed from somewhere more…impure. And just like that, Diana was about ready to flop down into the mud forehead-first and stay there for the foreseeable future.

It was in that moment when a familiar voice blared outwards from what sounded like all over the entire academy at once. The friendly, dulcet tones of Headmistrees Holbrooke drew all eyes and ears to her disembodied announcement, naturally including Diana whom felt relieved to have something to ease the attention away from herself for the first time since she'd started that whole mess.

"Good afternoon everyone!" She greeted affably like she always did: as if there was nothing of note happening in particular. "My what an exciting day it's been! Unfortunately all the fun has made quite a mess of the current lesson plans-"

"Headmistress! The spiders! _They're all over you_!"

Finnerans voice suddenly interjected in a high-pitched shriek of near-delirious alarm.

"-Ann please, I'm making an important announcement. The spiders are harmless for all those curious, and will dissipate soon. Now-"

"AUGH! BY THE NINE!"

There was an angry snap of static feedback, forcing Diana and company to slap their palms over their ears to block the irritating noise. Graciously Holbrooke quickly made it through whatever was troubling her to continue the announcement.

"It has been decided that all students are to return to their respective rooms for private study and reflection until announced otherwise. And as for those two young Witches who put on such a charming display of magic for everyone, please allow yourself the rest of the day to recover. But I would like to see both of you in my office 7am sharp tomorrow. Of course…" Holbrooke's tone took a dark turn in perhaps a trick of the suddenly lowered bass in the spell projecting her voice. "I trust you will not disappoint me again in denying my little request."

"Ara…looks like this the end for me." Chariot said from beside Diana with a humourless laugh, a distinct bead of sweat tracing down her brow.

Diana felt apprehensive as well, but of course she'd expected some kind of punishment. Worst case scenario was simply expulsion, but would Holbrooke punish her transgressions so far? That worrying air at the end of the Headmistress' last sentence did little to assuage her doubt. It would be a harsh sentence…but not one Diana felt confidant arguing against.

And what of Chariot? Glancing at her, Diana saw the woman still looking upwards in rapt, distressed attention. She didn't have to hazard a guess what could be in store for the Professor. It was quite literally her job on the line. And perhaps it wasn't simply due to their ill-conceived battle, but also that little issue of the rumour floating about since before their scuffle began. The reason Shiny Chariot, as well as Diana herself, had agreed to duel over. The implication was concerning enough regarding Diana…but for _Chariot_ , an older woman, mentor and Professor, it was incredibly eyebrow-raising to say the absolute least.

Finneran's voice annoyingly cut in again as the woman screeched clamorously over Holbrooke in a dramatic shout.

"HEADMISTRESS! PLEASE DON'T PUT ME DOWN! Wait…they're still all over you…AUGH!"

"You've lost some weight, Ann! Congratulations!"

On that baffling exchange the magnified voice of their Headmistress ceased its course with a loud popping sound that echoed slightly before finally leaving Luna Nova in a deserved spell of quiet.

=][=

Diana had parted ways after that with an exchange of some awkward farewells. After a much-needed shower, she'd retreated back to her dormitory were a doting Hannah and Barbara had awaited her. It was a blessing that her dear friends avoided asking anything about the obvious, instead they'd made relaxing idle chit-chat as they aided Diana in casting a few healing spells before putting her to bed. At times it felt like only Diana could see how kind and caring those two could be. Right up until the moon hung in the sky and Diana found herself sleepless for that extended reminiscence, Hannah and Barbara had watched over her.

What an exhausting day it had been, Diana thought with a heavy sigh as she slowly slid her depleted form back into the inviting cosiness of her bed sheets. Reliving those tense moments had done wonders in forcing her haggard brain to realise that yes, Diana was indeed direly requiring as good a nights rest as the spirits would allow.

The softness of the clean mattress eased the last of her nagging aches and pains as Diana sunk into the bed gratefully, her weary eyelids already clasping shut soon after. Idle sounds from the room droned into a distant white noise, no longer troubling her desired rest.

Only a lingering image of Akko, her arms outstretched for a hug, lingered in Diana's thoughts.

 _I forgive you!_

Even on that precarious cusp of sleep, Diana still felt herself smile joyfully. An epiphany of sorts sprang to life in her mind just as her subconscious guided the girl unto relieved slumber. There was something Diana could do in the morning to make Akko happy, to hopefully make everyone happy.

It wasn't her best idea. It was barely an idea. In fact, in that current moment it was already part of a wonderful dream that rendered her smile unshakeable through its duration.

In the waking world that dream would become a task that needed completing. That much Diana would remember.

Her Believing Heart would make it true.

=][=

 **Just a quick note: Akko doesn't really understand the underlying situation, so I think she would feel justified (childishly so) in demanding some silly retribution for the mess Diana and Chariot caused. After them running the risk of destroying the school, asking for some cosplay and secrets hopefully doesn't seem all that selfish. Well, maybe a lil bit. I was planning for Akko to try wave off those stupid requests when things calmed down and her head was straight, only for a certain pair to insist otherwise. Anyway!-**

 **-We made it! Welcome. Let it be known that I am aware there's a bit much of a skew towards Diana in this story up to a point, but I felt I needed her to play a part first to set up a few things later. Next updates will focus a lot more on the other girls, particularly Chariot, Cons, and the Red Team duo of Sucy and Lotte whom I've neglected for no other reason than** _ **damn this is a hard story to write :)**_

 **But I'll do my best to finish strong. For all you wonderful readers. Wish me luck.**

 **-Queen**


	13. Breach, those Sweet Emotions

_AN: Hello everybody. Finally got back to writing this one, and I'm having a lot of fun! I really hope you all enjoy it. Like I always say, all feedback and criticism is appreciated and acknowledged. A writer is nothing without her readers. Let's dive back in then! To keep the magic of Little Witch Academia in the sky for a bit longer. I really do love the show and its fandom of wonderful people. I just wish I'd found another like it to fill the gap in the meantime. Anything like that out now? I would love some genuine recommendations._

 _Kudos! Thank you everyone for reading!_

 _Cloy552: Yeah, I try to write her appropriately. Always wanting to do something big and helpful, but usually only gets the first part right. Always imperfect, always falling on her face :P_

 _JaviInkling: A secret club eh? Not a bad idea. Could work as a standalone one-shot I think. They'd probably all band together thanks to the invincible power of Yuri!_

 _Kettenkrad: Now that's a pairing out of left-field. I'll do my best to give it some focus, should be interesting to write. Another fan of Trigun, huh? Now there's a show in desperate need of a reboot. And thanks for the kind praise!_

 _Felix: Happy New Year to you too. Though I'm about half a year late saying that lol. And yes, Akko being Akko I think she'd be prone to doing silly things when her trust and feelings are trampled a bit. Though I try to be careful and not make characters too wacky for the sake of a story. Fanfiction needs to stay grounded too methinks. Thanks for the continued feedback, Felix~_

 _Horseshoefijzer: Cheers for the nice words, friend! I know what it's like to feel a little sad than not everyone can "win" when it comes to any kind of harem story. In anime, I always find myself rooting for the guy/girl who has no chance to be picked, just because I find it more endearing. Why does the "right" person always deserve the love, y'know? Anyway for the ending to this one, I might do a few, just to make everyone happy. Constanze deserves a shot too. She's just too cute~_

 _Oscar: Hope you had a great Christmas too. It can be lovely but also difficult to be with family if yours is huge like mine. Chariot's punishment felt appropriate, or maybe I'm just mental for that wonderful outfit :P I could never wear something like that myself. I appreciate your support._

 _BetwixtOni: I think you might enjoy it, now that I'm finally back to updating all my work (which reminds me, need to update my profile too.) Thanks for sticking around, Oni!_

 _Psykoakuma: Yes, I feel Akko was pushing it a little bit, so I'm trying to reel her back a little from being too OOC. Thanks for pointing that out. And I'm glad you like how I write Hannah and Barbara. For whatever reason they're very amusing to write, two sides of the same coin and all that. Bit more of that here, so I hope you like. And I wish you the best!_

 _The Swordslinger: I understand how you feel. I really do love the cast of LWA, so it can be tricky to give them all a bit of time in the spotlight (to varying degrees of success). I love weddings, even though I've only attended one as a guest, the dress I got to wear (and not keep T_T) was so pretty I felt like a different person. I'll try your suggestion soon, and have a character ask Akko what her dream wedding would be like. Seems appropriate, considering the plot, hehe~_

 _Your Intelligence: Heya, Kai! It's been wonderful to always hear your feedback. And for always keeping in touch with little old me. I do think some of the emotional pulls between Chariot and Diana were a bit forced, looking back. It was a very tricky part to write, and wasn't sure how it'd pan out. Could be better for sure, so thanks for pointing that out. Sometimes I can't quite tap in how to write certain characters in uncomfortable situations. But I'm always striving for improvement of course. And congrats again for getting through your exams! I know how hard that can be. All the best Kai, you've always been so kind to me :)_

 _LilaDoesFanfics: That's cool, I'm happy we're both like-minded there. Having family over the holidays was a small nightmare I'm not keen to repeat this year AT ALL. Thank you for taking the time to review, and wish you the best of luck with your own fics._

 _Okay, onwards then! I'll try my hardest to finish this one. I owe it to you all, and I need to learn how to end the stories I write. Keep trying to make it perfect, but then that stalls my brainmush. Gotta just go with it I think, and hope it doesn't end up a total mess. Should be fun though!_

 _-Queen_

Little Harem Academia

 _Breach, those Sweet Emotions._

The scheduled meeting meant for chewing Diana and Chariot out for the ridiculous fight the day previous had been far easier to stand through than the girl had initially thought. The two of them had shown up at 7am in Headmistress Holbrooke's office like instructed and expecting the worst.

But as they'd stood there ready for judgement, with most of Luna Nova's faculty all arguing over each other rather than pay any heed to herself or Chariot, it was Holbrooke who delivered the final say in what was to become of them. The other senior Witches ceased their crabby shouting to listen uneasily.

"Well, it's been quite exciting around here recently, hasn't it? Unfortunately, everyone had a bit too much fun I think, and now our curriculum is at a standstill until the situation is resolved. Now…I really don't need to specify who exactly is at the centre of all this silliness, do I?"

Diana tensed where she stood at the end of the room near the door, with the faculty all huddled around Holbrooke's desk. Chariot next to her looked about to pass out from sheepish, apologetic embarrassment. Her demeanour had changed completely from the confident, powerhouse of a woman who had battled Diana so fearlessly, to relapsing back to the usual, timid Professor Diana was used to. No doubt another effect of whatever odd magic that had swayed them all to act so foolishly. Perhaps Diana most of all.

There was no need to answer Holbrooke's question. Judging by the pensive silence in that room, everyone knew without thinking whom Holbrooke was referring to. By the Nine, even as Diana tried to listen to the Headmistress speak, images of that girl still sang in the girl's mind. For whatever reason, the sight of Akko tumbling from the perch of that giant robot and into the mud kept repeating over and over until Diana had to bite the inside of her gums to keep from bursting out with vulgar laughter.

"As such, it seems we've all fallen for the whims of one of our more eccentric students, to varying degrees of course."

A slight twinkle in Holbrooke's eyes as she looked to Diana and Chariot when she'd said that. For a second, Diana considered casting a concealment spell and sprinting from the room. Chariot just hung her head in shame, clutching her hands tight at the waist. She'd switched out of her Shiny costume previously, but Diana wouldn't forget the sight of the woman in that attire for a long time. Those accentuated curves, those racy angles…it wasn't just shades of envy Diana felt. How irritating…!

"Although you two have escalated things, it's also been a grand failure of our own to handle the situation appropriately. As such, punishing you two would be quite pointless…"

A few disgruntled mumbles from the older Witches, some visibly shifting uncomfortably on their feet.

"I was taking bets from the other Professors!" Lukic suddenly blurted. "We didn't see that Duel as anything strange at the time! Clearly none of us had proper control of our actions!"

"It was shameful." Finnelan added with a distasteful scowl as she too averted her gaze from everyone standing there. "Miranda and I stood right there and watched. Never did I think I would allow such transgressions of Luna Nova's rules to happen so flippantly. And-And I enjoyed it! That battle was terrific-!"

Everyone ogled her for an awkward moment, even Chariot lifting her head to stare. Finnelan seemed to catch on and righted her comments after an unconvincing cough.

"AHEM! Of course I wasn't myself! None of us were!"

"And the courtyard is still destroyed!" Badcock screeched. "That giant machine is still sitting there! If word gets out of what took place here, our funding will be cut for good!"

"The custodial staff won't be able to clean the mess on their own." Nelson added with a frustrated sigh. "At this point we'll have to help them before someone finds out. But we can't just leave the students to their own devices. Especially with all the confusion surrounding Miss Kagari still flying about. That's not even mentioning the Twilight Ball we're supposed to hold in three days."

"Care to offer a solution then?!" Badcock shot back needlessly.

"You first, Samantha! I saw you cheering like a loon after every explosion!"

"You had a nice broom perch from up high yourself! Didn't see you trying to calm everyone down!"

The elder Witches started to bicker and argue amongst themselves once more, again making Diana feel as if they'd forgotten why they'd called her and Chariot there in the first place. Even Holbrooke seemed unable to curtail their petty squabbling, so Diana took it upon herself to get everyone's attention with a wordless spell. She'd meant to only loose a few red sparks with a sharp popping noise from her wand, but remembered too late that the levels of energy floating about were far stronger than normal. The result was a harmless but near-blinding blast of red light that shook the room and threw the elderly Witches hair back in unison, leaving them stunned into silence and staring at Diana as she nervously flicked her wand back to its sash.

"Apologies…my magic prowess is out of control. No doubt owing to this turn of events. But I had to get your attention somehow. I believe I have a plan of action to hopefully solve this crisis."

Their previously stunned faces relaxed with quick relief; their trust in Diana clearly unaffected by her almost destroying the academy only a scant few hours ago.

"Ahh, Miss Cavendish. That is precisely why I called you and Professor Chariot here." Holbrooke started with a sagely nod. "Please, whatever you've got in mind to help, enlighten us if you will. And Ms Du Nord-"

"Y-Yes!" The woman perked up immediately.

"I ask that you directly assist the young Witch with whatever she desires. And naturally, the resources of this school will be at your disposal in doing so."

"Of course, Headmistress!" Chariot yelped earnestly. Diana figured her enthusiasm would shine at the chance of some redemption, feeling much the same way herself. The red-haired Witch looked to Diana in turn with a serious nod. "I'll do whatever is required, Diana!"

"Thank you. Now, I'll be needing the rest of you to assist in repairing the damage in the meantime. And whomever can be spared to watch over the rest of the student body should do so. The last thing any of us need is a repeat of yesterdays…'antics.' And with the ether of magic growing stronger every moment, it's only a matter of time before someone else loses their self control."

The Witches fervently nodded their agreement.

"What are you going to do?" Finnelan asked, a slight desperation in her tone.

Diana mulled the answer for a few seconds. In truth she was still trying to come up with a more concrete solution, but at the very least she had a start-an excerpt from a tome she'd read years ago that she vaguely remembered the title of could hold the answer. It was a flimsy premise, but her sharp intuition spurred Diana to follow it up.

"I'm heading to the library to inspect a certain book."

Before she could elaborate, a soft knocking came from the front door, prompting the Witch to glance at it and then turning to Holbrooke for her input, being her office and all.

"Yes? Who is it?"

The door opened timidly to reveal a pair of Witches Diana was familiar with, namely Avery and Blair, who frightfully balked at the sight of the congregation watching them enter in tepid silence.

"P-Pardon us for intruding…" Blair bowed a little, her distinct curls of blonde hair falling at her shoulders doing so. Avery stood rigid and silent next to her, and perhaps Diana imagined it, but a slight twinge of annoyance seemed to flash across the girl's sharp brows when she locked eyes with Diana. What was that about? She chose not to dwell on it. There were more important issues to worry about.

"Oh, please come in. What is the matter? It must be important if the faeries watching the dormitory let you come here…" Holbrooke greeted them sweetly.

"It is…well…ummm…"

Avery stepped forward, taking the helm with a bit of sting on her tongue.

"Mary's gone. After that stupid fight, she hasn't shown up to our room at all. Plus she's been acting weird lately, avoiding us more and more until she stopped talking to us completely."

"We're so worried. It's not like her at all! She's like a totally different person! I've even spotted her… _talking to herself,_ when she thought I wasn't looking…"

That line in particular spiked Diana's attention. Bits and pieces of the book she was trying to recall refocused in her scattered thoughts. The timing couldn't have been a coincidence…and that meant she had very little time to lose. Depending on what that book she sought told her, Mary, Akko…everyone could be in danger. Whilst she deliberated, the other Witches in that room carried on.

"That is worrisome…thank you two for letting us know. Professor Nelson, please borrow three of your best flyers and take to the skies to find our missing student. Leave no stone unturned within and around this academy, yes?"

"Of course, Headmistress!" Nelson barked in return. "She's probably spooked with what's been happening. Couldn't have gotten far. If I can't find her, I'll use a Mirrorstone."

"We haven't had one of those in our possession in months!" Lukic added, more disgruntled than usual. "It would take days to secure one, even on the fastest leylines we have!"

"That won't be an issue. I have a Mirrorstone of my own." Diana interjected, drawing everyone's attention to her once more. "If my judgement is still in one piece, then I have reason to believe Mary's absence is involved with our predicament. Please allow me to get started, and if it all works out, our troubles for the time being will be at an end."

They murmured a little amongst themselves, except for Avery who gave off a touchy click of her tongue.

"You'll really get her back for us?" She said haughtily. "I hope you're not just talking like that to sound cool to everyone."

Diana chose to ignore how rude the girl was acting, chalking it up to simple worry for a missing friend. All besides, she was used to Witches her age showing disdain due to her standing and upbringing.

"I'll get her back. And I'll end this madness. You all have my word."

Holbrooke sighed, showing an approving smile. Avery grumbled something under her breath and fell quiet, whilst Blair hid nothing of her gratitude.

"T-Thank you so much, Diana! If there's any way we can help, please tell us!"

"Do your part to keep the other students settled. That's all you can do for now." Diana roved her eyes across the expectant faces of the faculty, settling on Holbrooke. "May I please have my leave? Time is of the essence."

"Of course, Miss Cavendish. Please be careful. And I have faith that Professor Chariot will keep you safe."

Diana gave a short bow before whirling away and leaving them to handle the rest with Chariot following close behind, hurrying through the empty corridors basked in the bright glow of that early morning.

"The library then?" The woman said, falling into step at her side. "You mentioned a book…which one do you believe has the answer to all this?"

"The one about Love."

She picked up speed, walking as fast as she could without running and leaving Chariot sheepishly falling behind for a moment.

"Eh? Diana, wait for me!"

=][=

"Awww…mannnnn…" Akko grumbled from beneath the covers of her bed; several pillows planted on her face to hide away from the world.

"C'mon, Akko. You can't really be serious about staying like that for the rest of the year. What are you going to eat?" Lotte asked tepidly, peeking slightly over her bunk to the mass of bedsheets and assorted pillows that used to be her team-mate down below. "And I know it's embarrassing with all that's happened, but it really isn't your fault."

"Thanks, Lotte." She replied sullenly, ending her sentence with the sound of munching food; her already muffled voice now further distorted by the pickled plums she chewed on one after the other, having had the foresight to swipe the jar before entombing herself in bed. "But I should ok. If I take my classes from here I can still graduate. Plus there's a bit of plum juice at the bottom of the jar I can drink when I get thirsty."

"That's great." Sucy grumbled sarcastically from her desk chair, swivelled to face Akko. "You can use that jar as a toilet too. You sure do have your bases covered."

"Yeah, so I should be f-hey that's super gross!"

Sucy snickered, but her laugh turned to a shudder soon after.

"Ick, that _is_ gross. Even for me." Sucy stood up from the chair, arms crossed. "Anyway, Lotte's right. No ones been acting normally, so I doubt they're thinking too harshly of you. And after all, they're probably more interested with how Diana and Chariot blew up a good chunk of the courtyard. You should stop worrying so much about it."

Akko threw the sheets and pillow covering her aside with an exasperated breath, but remained lying down with a sour, tired look on her face; a half-empty jar of pickled plums tucked under her arm.

"Still though…I feel like an idiot. All that work to break the barrier, and the stupid lecture I gave them both afterwards…why did I do it like that? And the worst of it all was how pointless it ended up being! Diana and Chariot both told me after I'd shown up that they'd decided to stop fighting on their own! And-And-!" Akko scarfed down another plum, adding to the glazed, salty mess around her mouth. "I fell on my face again, right in front of them. Ahh, geez…!"

"Sucy's right, Akko. You shouldn't beat yourself up like this. Your heart was in the right place, after all. Would it have been better to sit around and do nothing? You saw the danger and decided to act, when no one else really knew what to do. That's just one of the reasons why we-"

Lotte paused, seeming to deliberate what word to use.

"-like you so much."

"Mmmm…but isn't that just the weird magic talking? The thing that made Chariot and Diana fight each other? And both of you too?"

Sucy sauntered over to her own bed and slumped atop it with a heavy sigh, facing the wall.

"Yeah. Magic." She muttered dismissively.

"Huh?" Akko sat up, puzzled at Sucy's reaction. "What's wrong?"

It was Lotte who spoke instead, peeking over the rim of the top bunk a little more with a shy smile. Sucy herself had fallen oddly silent, keeping her back turned.

"You know, Akko…feelings are a weird thing. I think Sucy really does-"

WHAM!

The three witches jumped simultaneously from the loud noise, turning their stunned attention towards the dormitory door where the sound had blasted from. The culprit was quickly revealed when the boisterous voice of Amanda sounded through, who seemed to be talking through a wince of pain.

"Ahhh! DAMN that hurt like a bitch! Ow, ow, ow, argh…!" A much lighter tapping on the door "Hey reds. Cool for us to pop in?"

"S-Sure…" Lotte called out after a brief glance with her team-mates. "Come in."

The door swung open with gusto. Amanda, Jasminka, and Constanze filed in with casual waves to greet them, although the smallest member of their team tried to scurry away after locking eyes with Akko, only to be snagged and picked up by Jasminka, much to the little German's blushing frustration.

"Heyo. All good? Sorry about that noise before. Constanze kept trying to run away and I hit my knee on the door by accident to block her." Amanda said with a pained smile, rubbing her reddened leg and then plopping down on the chair by the desk. "Yeesh, I hit it pretty hard…"

"Hey guys! What brings you all about? Heard anything from outside?" Akko asked curiously. "The professors told us to wait in our rooms but there's nothing really to do, huh?"

"Got that right." Amanda replied, sagging in the chair with a haughty sigh, though she yelped a bit when Lotte, having clambered off her bunk, administered a bit of healing magic on her knee. "I can't stand sitting around, so we wanted to see what's up here. And nah, haven't heard a peep from outside. The faeries aren't letting us through to the stairway corridor. What a pain in the ass!"

Jasminka sidled over and motioned for permission to sit on Akko's bed, which the girl happily allowed. Constanze was still tucked in the much-larger girls' arms, looking to have shrunk even smaller as the petite Witch hid her face behind her team-mates' forearms.

"You two Ok? What's wrong with Cons?" Akko pried, sitting up out of her bed proper to slide into place beside Jasminka. She kept trying to get a better look at Constanze, but aside from the shades of pink on her cheeks, Akko couldn't get a proper view. "Aww, is she sick? You can use my bed to lie down if you want. Think I lost a few plums in there though, heehee~"

Constanze chirped a sharp, tinny noise into Jasminka's arm, shaking a little.

"Constanze is shy today." Jasminka said with a big, warm smile, patting the girl's head softly.

"No need to be nervous around us, Cons. We're all friends here aren't we?" Akko poked her head closer.

Another wordlessly cute noise from the Witch, but no dice. Constanze wasn't going to move from her big comfy sanctuary.

"She's been like that since yesterday. Ahh, thanks for that.." Amanda added, saying her gratitude to Lotte briefly who sat down on Sucy's bed; the mushroom witch sitting up herself to listen. "Did something happen when you two piloted that big ass robot?"

Akko was about to shoot back on reflex, but she had to pause, considering the previous events in her strained thoughts. Something _had_ happened. Constanze, the same girl hiding herself away in the arms of her much-larger friend close by, had gingerly kissed the top of Akko's head just before they'd launched their (entirely pointless) rescue mission using the Grand Charion. Recalling that, the familiar fluttery feeling danced about in the girl's chest. Akko had to remind herself it was the strange magic that had made her do that…right? But the longer she pondered in silence amongst her friends, who all tensely looked to her for a response, the less sure she became.

But she couldn't deny it to them either. To lie like that would break Constanze's little heart…what would she say? The protracted silence removed the ease from the room with every stifling second.

"Nothing happened."

Everyone did a double-take when Constanze's whisper of a voice broke the quiet, the tiny German finally lifting her face a little to instead stare sadly at the floor of the room.

"...Akko was very brave."

"She sure is." Sucy added with an oddly sweet smile. "I know how you feel. Akko might not see it, but what she did was really cool…"

The odd, entirely out-of-character _niceness_ in how she'd said that drew all eyes to the mushroom Witch. As if realising what she'd done, Sucy's eye widened in mild shock before she grumbled something under her breath and brought her knees up to her chin, looking away.

"I'm just saying. Quit staring at me. Or do we need some spiders in here?"

"No way!" Amanda shouted, instinctively shielding herself. "Do NOT do that again! I flipping HATE SPIDERS!"

"You did overdo that, Sucy." Lotte agreed, a little pale. "They didn't hurt anyone, but it must've been super scary to some of our classmates."

"They've all disappeared. And they were designed to vanish from everyone's memories in a day or two. Don't worry about it." Sucy reassured, then flashed a teasing smirk at Amanda. "What kind of Witch is scared of spiders anyway?"

The American crossed her arms in a huff, feigning indifference. "N-Never said I was scared! I jus' hate em is all. Little crawly bastards scampering up my legs…ugh! You better not be lying about forgetting all about them! Or else I'll find whatever scares YOU the most and jump you with it when you least expect it!"

"So spiders **do** scare you."

"Waitwhat! I didn't say that!"

"Heeheehee…"

The awkward silence was shelved in the past with the laughter that followed. Amanda tried in vain to convince everyone that nothing scared her at all, but soon her annoyance gave way to her own loud belting of cheer, almost falling backwards on her chair. Akko was delighted to share such a simple moment, thankful in how it made her forget her embarrassing troubles, if only for a little while.

"Fine! You can have that one. Spiders scare me! Just don't pull any pranks with them again, yeah?"

"Whatever. Scaring people isn't my idea of fun anyway. Maybe you wanted to try one of my new potions instead? That'll be a blast."

"Fuck that!" Amanda roared with laughter with everyone else following suit at the unexpected cuss, even Constanze stifling a giggle that Akko noticed with a sly, wolfish grin.

"Ha! Saw that! You made Cons laugh!"

"No way!" Amanda shot out of her seat, leaning towards her friend who puffed her face up in embarrassment before hiding herself away again. "Shit, maybe I should swear more often! Hahaha!"

Everyone laughed again at the swear, and after a few more minutes passed the lively atmosphere in that room was back in full swing. Akko really cherished moments like those, where all her friends were happy, no one fighting…if only there was some way to preserve that forever.

Stanbot, having sat perched atop Constanze's head quietly for a while had sprung into action to help defeat the tedium of waiting; transforming into a video game console on Sucy's desk with a magical projector as a screen. Akko and her friends would cheer and laugh, occasionally trash-talking as they all took turns facing one another in some new fighting game involving Witch duels called Armageddon Arcana. Akko didn't win a single round, even when she accidentally picked a supposedly overpowered boss character, giggling and yelling with faux-dismay as Constanze expertly trounced her and knocked Akko's fighting avatar into a pool of cartoonish lava, pulling a thumbs up on the way down.

It was a really cool game, but after handing off the controller to Jasminka, Akko couldn't help but be distracted by her worrying thoughts that despite them all relaxing and having fun, there was still something off in the air. She couldn't lie to herself and think it was all back to normal. And that got her pondering about what was going on outside their little gathering. Did Diana and Chariot really get into a lot of trouble? Were they doing Ok? Were they…thinking of her? Like she was thinking of them?

Lost in that thinking momentarily, Akko absently noticed Sucy looking pensively at her from across the room as everyone else was distracted by another great match of magical battle.

Akko just smiled back at first, which Sucy sweetly returned, but her friend didn't look away. Then, to her sharp surprise the girl actually brushed aside her trademark bangs of silvery-purple hair to lock her warm gaze to Akko's with both eyes visible.

Something about that look totally threw Akko off. It was like, for only the shortest of moments Sucy had show her something she knew hardly anyone on that Earth had bore witness to. It felt like…a precious gift of sorts. Something exclusive and special. Especially coming from a girl as normally cold and detached like Sucy. It also had the effect of making her friend look so much prettier…

But, being as clumsy as she was, Akko opened her mouth to say something to her, only to let the grip on the pickled plum in her hand slack and sending it slipping downwards where it plopped on top of Constanze's head who was sitting below, sticking there like salty ornament.

"Hm?!" The girl whipped her head about to stare at Akko with a blend of nervousness and surprise.

"Whoops! Sorry about that! I dropped a plum on your head. Just let me-"

Akko moved a little too quickly to pluck it off her friends' tuft of teal hair, touching her hand to the German's tiny one as she attempted to do the same.

That brief contact of skin, where Akko couldn't help but remark to herself how chilly and soft Constanze felt, had frozen them both in place for a few seconds, until the little German Witch managed to break the awkward spell by snagging the plum herself in a lightning-quick motion and popping it whole into her mouth.

The face she made from that was one-of-a-kind. Immediately she puffed her cheeks out while pursing her lips so tight like she'd taken a huge bite out of a ripe lemon. On top of that the furious, sweating blush shining bright all over her pale skin suddenly transformed her head to look like a big tomato.

"T-Thank you very much." She managed to sputter, trembling from head to toe before turning back to the game; mouth so puckered it baffled Akko that she heard anything coherent at all.

"...welcome." Akko herself barely managed to utter the words. Feeling stranger by the second, she turned to look at Sucy again, but her room-mate had turned back to watching the game; her seldom-seen eye hidden away again.

Akko wasn't the smartest person in that room by a longshot, she could admit that much. But it was becoming much clearer to her that the nice ambience there would be short lived if something wasn't done about it. Constanze's innocent kiss, Sucy's longing stare, Diana and Chariot's frenzied jealousy that could've seriously hurt someone or worse…

It was only a matter of time. So much like Amanda expressed earlier, she had gotten sick of waiting around for things to fix themselves. Akko had embarrassed herself before, but something like that didn't mean anything in the face of another potential disaster befalling her dear friends, and everyone else at Luna Nova.

It was time to act. At the very least to quell her heart that tugged in every direction. She didn't want magic to have anything do with who loved her! Just like that annoying bee, Akko would do whatever it took to finish it, no matter how stupid it made her look!

"Everyone, please listen up!" She hopped off her bed with a wild shout, startling everyone. Amanda paused the game, cutting off its poppy music and eyed her with a raised brow. "I need to find out what's going on outside. And I've gotta see how Chariot and Diana are doing. Maybe they got into a lot of trouble…and I just can't stop myself worrying about them. Plus, I really need to apologise to them too. Constanze was there with me, but I said a few stupid things I wish I could take back. And maybe-maybe I can convince the professors to go easy on them. I don't think they understand this silliness like I do. One way or another, I'm going to help them, then see if we can all figure out a way to stop whatever's happening to all of us!"

Lotte was the first to speak up in support with a little fist pump. "I was thinking the same thing, Akko. Things are probably the opposite of normal out there. We should find a way out."

"Yeah! Can't sit around forever!" Amanda boasted, smashing her fist into her palm with a loud snap. "The professors have another thing coming if they think we'd just sit around and study like a bunch of dorks. Let's go!"

"How are we going to sneak past the faeries? None of us are exactly subtle." Sucy asked dryly, but Akko noted the slight enthusiasm in her posture when the girl stood from the edge of her bed. "Maybe this calls for more-"

"No more spiders, Suce. Got a way better plan!" Amanda replied quickly, then turned to Constanze with an expectant grin. "Or did you guys forget one of us has an underground network all to herself?"

Constanze gave a stout thumbs up. "Under my bed, there's a passage…"

The fires of courage blazed bigger and brighter in Akko's core at the outpouring of support. Whatever happened, as long they stuck together to cover their blatant weaknesses, everything would be just fine.

Well, she hoped at least!

"Awesome! Let's go!" Akko yelled excitedly and scooped up her Shiny Rod before tying it snug to her belt. "Hope you guys love minecart rides!"

"What?" Lotte asked, puzzled. Constanze gave the Finnish girl a little pat on the back.

"Hang on tight."

"Eh?! Akko's serious?!"

=][=

"Some tea, Diana?" Barbara offered a fresh cup to Diana, who was deep in the crux of investigating what could possibly be the flimsiest lead she had to go on. Diana said a quick thanks and went back to scanning page after page of one of thirty books on the subject of Love, sitting rigidly at a long desk in a nearly empty library. Chariot nearby was teetering dangerously on a step ladder in an effort to pluck yet another book from the top of a shelf, her trembling legs seconds from bucking right out from under her.

How could a woman be so lethally athletic and still so dubiously clumsy was a mystery to Diana. And had her Professor forgotten she was a Witch? Why not use magic to collect those books? Or perhaps she too was struggling to reel in their sudden burst in magical power? One way or another, Diana found it much harder to concentrate when the woman was within her field of vision. Troubling thoughts of the two of them, battered, exhausted both physically and emotionally, lying on the mulch of mud and wet grass. One moment filled with jealousy and rage and the next-something else Diana did not want to think about! She was getting distracted again!

Dropping her weary gaze back to the lines of writ on the open book titled _Amorous Amalgams_ , she struggled to actually push the words she was reading into trains of thought. Barbara still hovered nearby, peeking at the same book with inquisitive eyes. Her friends had somehow managed to intercept Diana a few minutes earlier, and hadn't given a single inch despite her protests, insisting that they stick together as a team no matter how dangerous or ridiculous things became. Diana had to give that to them. If she'd heeded their tense concern regarding Diana's jealous behaviour towards Chariot, that entire debacle the previous day could've been avoided.

" _We'll stick with you, Diana! That's that!"_

" _Yep! Can't get rid of us! Gotta make sure you don't do something silly again, you hear?"_

Having been unable and frankly unwilling to argue, she'd graciously accepted their support. She'd sent Hannah to quickly grab that Mirrorstone from Diana's desk in their dorm first, whilst Barbara stayed behind in the library to help out any way she could. Even though it was something as simple as serving tea (normally forbidden in the library, but Diana was too strung to care), Barbara had become exceedingly skilled in doing so. Just a sip of what her friend had brewed soothed the stings of unease Diana had felt right away.

"Have you found what you were looking for yet?" Barbara asked hopefully, taking the empty seat to Diana's left and opening another book from the stack to peruse. "What's the key word again?"

"I'm not sure." She answered, feeling a bit downtrodden that she couldn't elaborate, but her weak reply didn't diminish Barbara's bright smile in the slightest. "When I happen upon it, I'll know. It's just a matter of time."

"Mhm. Hannah and I trust you, totally. Let's find what you need quick then!"

"I appreciate that, Barb." Diana replied with a grateful sigh through her grin. She'd never called Barbara by that shortened name, something the raven-haired Witch immediately noticed with a delighted laugh.

"You called me Barb! That's so awesome! Please- _please_ do that whenever you want. It sounded soo cute coming from you! Hahaha! I gotta tell Hannah about this-!"

That sweetly innocent reaction lifted Diana's spirits, and she saw no harm in granting that request. Part of her also wished to see the three of them grow even closer; that desire spurred by the wonderful dedication and care they'd both graced Diana with after that ridiculous duel. If their kind reassurance hadn't been there, the heiress knew her confidence that day would've never rose to the surface.

"By all means. I don't mind."

"Yeah! That's a win!" Barbara giggled joyfully.

Right then Chariot entered the picture, adding one more book far larger than the rest on top of the stack in front of Diana. The desk actually buckled with a worrisome creak after the heavy deposit, impressing the girl with the ease that Chariot had handled the massive book. No matter how much she tried to ignore the fact, that impressive strength was irritatingly alluring.

"There. That must be the last one we have. I remember reading a lot of these at your age, but I can't remember much of it now I'm afraid." Chariot tilted her face a little, palming her hands together as an apologetic gesture. The shy, sheepish nature of that woman suddenly looked so beautiful to Diana, marring her own reply to come three seconds too late, and with a noticeable shake within her words.

"T-Thank you for the help."

"Thanks, Professor Shiny!"

A beat passed. A gust of curiously loud wind passed the windows. Diana slowly and awkwardly turned to Barbara, who already had both hands clamped over her mouth, eyes wide in petrified shock as they darted back and forth between the witnesses to what she'd said.

"H-H-Hang on! Didn't mean that!" She thrashed her hands about in a panic. A pink glow of a blush suddenly revealed growing rapidly on her fair, defined cheeks. "I meant Shiny _Chariot!_ WAIT NOT THAT EITHER! EEEK!"

Chariot gaped nervously at her, the previous head-tilt she'd held now dipping almost completely lateral.

"...Eh?"

Barbara snatched one of the books from the nearby pile, knocking several off the desk, then hid her face behind the dusty tome. She did all that with such reckless speed Barbara had unfortunately nailed herself in the face with said book, the clearly audible **snap** echoing throughout the spacious room.

"Nevermind! And…owie~"

Before Diana could meekly ask if she was alright, Hannah suddenly entered the room, jogging over to them with a cheerful grin that slowly faded to oblivion the closer she approached the group frozen in that awkward situation.

"Uhhh, what did I just walk into? Everyone OK?" Hannah prodded warily, eyeing Diana and Chariot in particular. "You guys aren't going to duel again right…?"

"Definitely not!"

"N-no! Not again!"

They'd both talked over the other, garbling their response into a mess of words, only serving to make that situation all the more uncomfortable.

"Okay then!" Hannah recoiled like she'd been attacked, but quickly composed herself and handed Diana the item she'd been asked to retrieve; the Mirrorstone. A simple, slightly-jagged rock of quartz that fit in the girl's palm. It held a small, twisting storm of clouds within its sheen surface, complete with similarly tiny bolts of red lightning silently zapping about inside. Once Hannah had passed the item, she pulled up a chair next to Barbara, looking to her confidant worriedly. "I feel like I shouldn't even ask."

"Probably a good idea." Diana said, turning back to to the new mess of literature on the desk courtesy of Barbara's frantic reaction just before, now obscuring the book she'd been initially trying to read.

' _Another new fan of Chariot. I can hardly blame her.'_ Diana remarked with amusement, struggling to read the random page of another book without the image of a particular outfit accentuating the figure of a woman only a few feet away butting into her thoughts. Fighting against the crawling heat of a blush itching her neck, she hurled that kind of thinking aside, only for that same visualisation to pop back a second later with a cheekily grinning Shiny Akko front and centre. And just like that the girl was close to losing her grip entirely. The phenomena afflicting Luna Nova was becoming unbearable to simply ignore…

' _This accursed magic…I can't be dwelling on such things! Mary could be in danger and I'm sitting here indulging such lewdness! If I could just find what I was looking for-'_

It had to be cosmic luck that the moment she'd thought that, the very thing she'd been seeking with growing desperation lay before her on the first dusty page Diana's gaze fell upon. Curbing the sudden explosion of hopeful excitement, her sharp mind consumed the paragraph with wanton haste.

 **Morgana Event**

 _Spirits and other similar revenants, immortal or not, can fall in love, and become extremely lonely, just as any flesh and blood creature of the realms. Naturally the older the spirit, the more prone to such an occurrence they become, especially among those who are female. Reports of a Morgana Event are rare, but their similarities typically fall in line as follows._

 _A person with a high affinity to a particular arcana is chosen as the catalyst, either directly, or through an item that has chosen its wielder. Usually a pendant, a sword, sometimes a wand…_

A wand! Akko's wand! The Claiomh Solais…it had to be. Her confidence boosted at finally having a thread to go on, Diana continued to read.

 _The yearning for love and companionship will manifest through the catalyst, affecting its wielder to become the centre for such desires, pushing those with even the slightest want for that person to seek romantic validation. These emotions only grow stronger with time, usually to disastrous results. See rendering 118-C-_

-which was an image on the opposite page of some building eerily similar to Luna Nova wreathed with flames in mid-collapse; a slew of people randomly battling each other in front of the grim sight. Two at the forefront of the carnage, a pair of young Witches, were reeling from painful looking punches delivered simultaneously to the others face. The parallels to Diana's current situation were too on the nose to be mere coincidence. Determined to avoid a similar fate for herself and everyone at the academy, she peeled her eyes away from the picture and continued reading.

 _The spirit suffering from a Morgana Event will involuntarily possess a person nearby at random, fusing with their body and soul to create a being of neither half; a malevolent spectre driven by jealousy and love, seeking to make the owner of the catalyst theirs by any means. Destruction of the host or spirit, is the quickest way to end the coming catastrophe. The only other means to stop the Event, is a flash-exorcism, using any amount of Aglaophotis available directly on the host._

Aglaophotis…Diana's extensive knowledge recalled what such an item looked like. Essentially a deep-crimson liquid, sometimes coagulated into a pill, that expunged any spiritual or demonic entity from a host. She only prayed such a thing could be found in Luna Nova. With that, she'd learned enough about what to do. It was time to act. She wasn't 100 percent certain that Mary was the host, but her classmate's timely disappearance was reason enough to follow through.

"Professor Chariot!" She yelled, alarming the woman who jumped on the spot nearby. "Aglaophotis! You need to acquire some from the forbidden storeroom!"

"I-I-I don't know if we have something like that, but I'll go check!"

"Not just yet. First-"

Diana placed the Mirrorstone on the desk and without wasting any time, lifted her wand high and practically _slammed_ the item with the appropriate spell, flinging the collection of now-useless books around the stone to spill all over the floor in a wondrous mess. Hannah and Barbara yelped as one at the abrupt motion, shooting out of their seats and crowding behind Diana as if on instinct.

" _Somme Viator!"_

The Mirrorstone rattled loudly on the table for a second then fanned out in a thick cloud of magical blue smoke that engulfed most of the table. For a moment it seemed the swirling smoke would keep growing rapidly in size, but it quickly snapped inwards whence it'd came and formed a glowing eagle-eye view of Luna Nova's surroundings in the shape of a rough circle; the signature building sitting right in the centre.

"Oooh, a map?" Barbara peeked out from behind Diana and stood beside her as Hannah echoed the movement with the exact same timing.

"Look! That shining bit!" Hannah flicked her finger to a point.

Diana focused where her friend was indicating, and sure enough, a tiny speck of golden light was glinting from the edge, a fair distance away from the image of the academy itself. A spot heavily shrouded by dense canopies of sinister trees. That place was-

"The Forest of Arcturus…Mary's there?" Chariot spoke up, the soft light from the spell reflecting off her glasses.

"I'm sure of it. I pictured her name and face when I cast the spell." Diana answered quickly. "Can you memorise the spot, Professor?"

Chariot hesitated for a second and cupped her chin, staring at the map closely with furrowed brows before replying with a new flare of confidence in her usually shy voice.

"...Y-Yes. Yes, I'll remember it. You want me to get whatever Aglaophotis I might find and meet you at that spot?"

Diana nodded, glad that Chariot was on the same page. "Please hurry then. We're running out of time."

"I don't quite understand what's happening, but I have faith in you. Leave it to me!"

The woman returned a sharp, determined nod of her own before sprinting off the mark with such sudden speed that by the time Diana blinked once Chariot had vanished through the yawning doorway of the library.

"Woah, she's fast!" Hannah remarked, staring after Chariot then turned to Diana. "So we're going too?"

"Arcturus Forest…that place is soo creepy. B-But we'll be fine with you, Diana!"

She smiled reassuringly at them, choosing to hide the slight doubt whispering at the back of her thoughts. Was Diana being overconfident? Her courage a farce, fuelled by a reckless desire to help Akko; the girl she'd loved for almost a year? And what if Chariot couldn't find any of trace of Aglaophotis to burn out the spirit that had taken Mary into the forest for who-knows-what? Too many questions, and none she had an answer for.

But much like that hyperactive ball of endless joy and bravery that was one Akko Kagari, Diana chose to ignore those misgivings and follow that lovely girls' example. And perhaps too…that might make Akko notice Diana a little more. To enthral and inspire her to choose Diana over the others as the one to take the first dance together at the Twilight Ball.

It was childish to think of such a petty thing with what was happening then, but she couldn't deny the unstoppable sense of reckless bravery such a desire filled her with.

She was going to end the madness. And it was time to win Akko's love! No matter how selfish it was to do so!

"Girls, it's time to fly."

=][=

 _AN: Finally back into the swing of things. Been way too long. I'll try and update soon, just because I like y'all so much. Love and Peace, friends~_

 _Anyone have any questions about the fic, or want to talk about anything at all really, I'm always happy to lend an ear._

 _-Queen_


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